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Galway Advertiser 2008/GA_2008_06_19/GA_1906_E1_006.pdf
6 C O U N T D OW N TO T H E VO LVO R AC E
www.galwayadvertiser.ie
June 19 2008
Green Team's yacht embarks on its maiden voyage ahead of the race
BY LINLEY MACKENZIE The Green Team and Ireland's new Volvo Open 70 are already making waves in preparation before moving to Galway in July. "We sailed for five hours in perfect conditions. Starting in no wind, we slowly loaded the boat up and quickly got sailing with full cant on the keel in 15 knots of wind. As always with new boats there were some glitches and we already have some modifications to make but it was overwhelmingly positive. "The boat feels beautifully balanced, the keel system is working well, and the mast and sails set up nicely," he said. A number of key components have been flown in from around the world - the mast was made by Southern Spars New Zealand, the sails from North Sails, Britain; rudders and dagger boards from McConaghy Australia; keel bulb from Irons Brothers in Britain, and the keel fin from the USA. Like the boat's components, the crew is also boasts a strong international flavour. Joining skipper Ian Walker, will be four Irish sailors, two Australians, a New Zealander, and a British sailor. This line-up of round-the-world winners, America's Cup campaigners, and world-class competitors reflects the international flavour of all seven participants in this year's round the world race. Three of Ireland's worldclass sailors have jumped on board in the continuing build-up to this year's race, which includes for the first time a stopover in Galway,. All on the international sailing circuit, Damian Foxhall (39) from County Kerry, Justin Slattery (34) from County Wexford, and Ian Moore (37) from County Antrim, will join a fourth Irish sailor, youngster Scott Miller (25), for the world's most prestigious offshore ocean CV, having competed in all the race. Another three Irish sailors prestigious ocean races in the have been selected on the shore world, including five Fastnets team. and five Sydney-Hobarts, Damien Foxhall, selected as a including the notorious 1998 watch leader on the Green race in which six sailors Team, already has two Volvo tragically died. He has taken races under his belt, having part in multiple other races sailed in 2005/06 on Ericsson during his professional racing and previously on Team Tyco. career. His first venture around Having crossed the Atlantic 17 the world was on board News times and sailed rounded the Corp in the Volvo Ocean Race world seven times, he has 2001/02 when he was 26 years clocked up more than 310,000 old, having already claimed the nautical miles. In a career trans-atlantic record on spanning 25 years, he has Nicorette. become a familiar face on the The youngster on the Green international racing circuit Team is Scott Miller (25) who having competed in every will be a trimmer. He has discipline at most levels. A worked on the design side of UK native of Derrynane, he is the Sails and has skippered the Farr most recent winner of a round 45 John Merricks. Miller is a the world yacht race, graduate of the Volvo RYA having won the inaugural Keelboat squad and has raced Barcelona World Race with Ian Moore numerous boats from Beneteau Jean-Pierre Dick aboard the Open 60 Paprec-Virbac this as navigator for the British year. In doing so he made Irish America's Cup challenge, Team sailing history, becoming the Origin, he has sailed with first Irish man to win a non-stop Walker and Green Team chairman Eamon Conneely on round the world race. Ian Moore is selected as the the Galwayman's TP52 Patches. Bowman Justin Slattery hails team's navigator. Brought up in Northern Ireland, and with keen from Cork, and he too made sailing parents behind him, he Irish sailing history when the first sailed at the local sailing became the first Irishman to club in Newcastle, Co Down, win the gruelling Volvo Ocean where he learnt the ropes on Race when on board ABN Amro Mirror dinghies. Initially he One in the 2005/06 event - the trained as a naval architect in third time he had sailed around England, and having worked on the world in five years. From Wexford, and a former a number of diverse projects, including designing and member of the Wexford building nuclear submarines, he Harbour Boat Club, he broke became a professional yacht the round the world record in racing navigator. His big break 2004 on board the yacht as a navigator came after racing Cheyenne whose crew became as a bowman in the the fastest to sail the globe in 58 Commodores Cup in 1996. He days. Scott Millar Other sailing achievements cut his teeth in the Volvo event breaking the 25s all the way up to Maximus. on board the winning Volvo include The remainder of the crew Ocean Race 2001/02 Illbruck transatlantic record at just 22 before spending three years years old, shortly after winning are: Tom Braidwood - a highly maxi-worlds onboard with New Zealand's America's the respected and experienced Cup team as Ben Ainslie's Skandia. Slattery boasts an impressive sailor from Sydney, Australia, navigator on the B boat. Named who was also also on board Team Ericsson for the last race. His third Volvo Round the World race, Braidwood has also campaigned with two Admiral Cup teams and has competed in several Farr 40 European and World Championships. He has project managed the Green Team's entry in conjunction with McConaghys Boats Ltd. Andrew McLean (29) - a graduate of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron youth programme and was a shore team member of Team New Zealand. A professional engineer, McLean worked with the weather team for the 2003 defence, developing software and predictive models on the weather data gathered from the racecourse. In 2004 he joined the Team New Zealand sailing team as a grinder. Phil Harmer (28) - The Australian is the Green Team's multi-tasker driver/trimmer/sailmaker. He competed in the last Volvo Ocean Race on board ABN AMRO TWO and Brunel as sailmaker and trimmer. He has recently trimmed for the RC44 Team Aqua and the Farr 40 Grooverderci, but cut his teeth with the 1995 Young Australia America's Cup team. Freddie Shanks (28) Another regular crewmember on Conneely's TP52 Patches, this British sailor will be the bowman on the Green Team. Shanks has also won the Swan Worlds on J One and the Commodores Cup on the Farr 52 Bear of Britain. He has sailed with Ian Walker on numerous other boats including several Farr 40s and has recently twice completed the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.
Damien Fixall. Pic:Oskar Kihlborg/ Volvo Ocean Race
for their assault on the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race. This week the yacht was taken for its maiden voyage ahead of schedule - having been lifted into the water on Monday. The Green Team, currently in Gosport, England, will be based in Galway before the race starts in Spain on October 4. The Green Team, including 15 shore crew, boat builders, and the race crew have been working for the last 10 days to prepare the Reichel Pughdesigned boat for its first sail since arriving from the boat builders yard,McConaghy Boats, in China. Skipper Ian Walker is delighted the Green Team is on course in its preparations
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