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Volvo Ocean Race

Spanish Castle to White Night, an award-winning story by Mark Chisnell

Eighty-eight men set off from beneath the ramparts of Alicante’s Castle of Santa Bárbara, but only 36 would journey the full 37,000 miles to finish in the White Nights of St Petersburg. Japan’s Black Tide, brutal weather, injuries, and even the credit crunch all took their toll.

Published today by dakini Media, London, and voted the Best Sports Illustrated Book at Sportel, Monaco in early October, this is the story of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, ripping and roaring through the seven seas – from Spain, past Africa and on to Asia, round the Americas and back to Europe. It’s a story of endurance, deprivation and adventure.

This stunning book is written by novelist and navigator Mark Chisnell and is available in English and Spanish.

It charts the tale of some of the world’s best offshore sailors who left Alicante in October 2008 in pursuit of victory in the Volvo Ocean Race. It follows them through the ensuing nine months as they endured every possible emotion, their human story intertwined with the raw elements of nature and the extraordinary technology on which their success, and sometimes even their survival, depended.

It is illustrated with striking photography from a team that both followed and participated in the race, including Rick Tomlinson, whose work has been featured in National Geographic. A team of eight media crew members (MCMs) raced around the world capturing the drama as it unfolded and among them was Rick Deppe, PUMA’s MCM, who was also a cameraman for the Emmy Award nominated Discovery Channel documentary, Deadliest Catch.

Author, Mark Chisnell, said: “The latest Volvo Ocean Race was a fantastic event with so many memorable moments to bring alive in the book. It was quite a challenge to capture all of it in words, but I tried to apply the lessons about story-telling that I’ve learned from writing my novels. The book looks beautiful, the team did a great job on photography, picture selection, design and production and I want to thank everyone involved for their fantastic efforts”.

Also available in addition to Spanish Castle to White Night, is a special Nordic edition – High Seas High Stakes (English language) which includes an Ericsson Racing Team prologue and epilogue written by Sean McNeill, a sailing writer and active racer, and imagery by premier Swedish photographer, Oskar Kihlborg. Each book includes a race highlights DVD of over two hours, making it a must-have at €40 plus postage and packing.

Spanish Castle to White Night (English and Spanish) and High Seas High Stakes (Nordic edition) are available to buy online at http://www.volvooceanrace.org/multimedia/book/ for immediate delivery. • Portsmouth, England – 2 November 2009

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Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 • Entries

There were eight entries in the Volvo Ocean Race.
 
DELTA LLOYD NED

• Designer: Juan Kouyoumdjian
• Builder: Killian Bushe
• Skipper: Ger O’Rourke IRL

ERICSSON RACING TEAM INTERNATIONAL SWE

• Designer: Juan Kouyoumdjian
• Builder: Killian Bushe
• Boatyard: Kista, Stockholm
• Skipper: Torben Grael BRA,
• Navigator: Jules Salter GBR

ERICSSON RACING TEAM NORDIC SWE

• Designer: Juan Kouyoumdjian
• Builder: Killian Bushe
• Boatyard: Kista, Stockholm
• Skipper: Anders Lewander SWE,
• Navigator: Aksel Magdahl NOR

GREEN DRAGON CHN/IRL

• Designer Reichel Pugh
• Boatyard McConaghy (China)
• Skipper Ian Walker GBR,
• Navigator Ian Moore GBR

PUMA OCEAN RACING USA

• Designer: Botin Carkeek
• Builder: Goetz Custom Boats
• Boatyard: Newport, Rhode Island
• Skipper: Ken Read USA,
• Navigator: Andrew Cape AUS

TEAM RUSSIA RUS

• Designer: Rob Humphreys Yacht Design
• Builder: Green Marine
• Boatyard: Lymington, England
• Skipper: Andreas Hanakamp AUT,
• Navigator: Wouter Verbraak NED

TELEFONICA BLACK ESP

• Designer: Farr Yacht Design
• Boatyard: Southern Ocean Marine, New Zealand
• Skipper/Patron: Fernando Echávarri, ESP
• Navigator: Roger Nilson SWE

TELEFONICA BLUE  ESP

• Designer: Farr Yacht Design
• Boatyard: King Marine, Valencia
• Skipper: Bouwe Bekking, NED
• Navigator: Simon Fisher

 

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Volvo Ocean Race

Volvo Ocean Race with Groupama until 2015

The Groupama Insurance Group confirmed today that it will enter the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race with its long term French skipper, Franck Cammas, a commitment that will last until 2015.

The announcement was made as Cammas was in the French port Le Château in Brest, preparing to set off on a bid to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy aboard the 32-metre maxi trimaran. The chosen designer for Groupama’s new boat is Argentinean Juan Kouyoumdjian, the designer of the winning boats in the last two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race.

“It’s now been over 12 years that Groupama and Franck Cammas have worked together as a team. Today, we have decided to continue this commitment by participating in the Volvo Ocean Race to inspire a more international dynamic in our common project,” said Frédérique Granado, director of external communications at Groupama.

“Groupama is developing strong links overseas, where we carry out nearly 30 per cent of our business, and the Volvo Ocean Race is clearly the most suitable sports event to reflect our group’s new expansion,” Granado explained.

“We trust in Franck to take up this new challenge and we appreciate his ability to create a team and manage a crew and also the design of the most high performance boats. These qualities will be decisive in the Volvo Ocean Race,” she added.

Despite concentrating on his imminent departure on the Jules Verne Trophy, the skipper of Groupama is delighted. “Groupama is once again showing its trust in me at the very important moment where we’re committing to a new challenge, while a lot of sponsors wait for a sports events to draw to a close before announcing that they’re renewing a partnership,” Cammas said.

“This is even more motivating for me within the context of the Jules Verne Trophy and makes me keen to pay Groupama back for the trust it has shown. We are committing to the Volvo Ocean Race thanks to the support and trust demonstrated by Groupama. For our team, it is a huge responsibility, which we are tackling with enthusiasm and determination.

“I am very proud to be able to benefit from such commitment and such loyalty and I would like to make the most of this opportunity to thank all the group’s representatives and colleagues for their unfailing support during what has been over 12 years.”

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race is very pleased about the return of a French boat to the Volvo Ocean Race: “The French certainly have their place in the Volvo against the cream of the Anglo-Saxon and European crews. It is excellent news that the Groupama team is joining the race. I have known Franck Cammas and his team for a long time. They are formidable competitors, who are remarkably well organised. It is going to be an exciting race.” • Portsmouth, England – 3 November 2009

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