| SANXENXO, SPAIN-(18-10-2005) The number of Olympians among the
ranks of the Volvo Extreme 40 class was bolstered today with the
announcement that a boat skippered by Carolijn Brouwer, former Volvo
Ocean Race yachtswoman, has joined the entry list.
TornadoSport, the class management, has provided the boat for Holland's
Brouwer, who will compete under the Volvo Ocean Race banner.
Brouwer sailed in the last Volvo Ocean Race onboard the all-woman entry
Amer Sports Too and since then has competed at the Olympic Games in
Athens before teaming up with Olympic silver medallist Sebastien
Godefroid from Belgium to embark on an Olympic Tornado campaign.
Brouwer, the first female Volvo Extreme 40 skipper, is now joined by
Sebastien Godefroid, as well as Emma Westmacott, fellow former Volvo
Ocean Race yachtswoman, who will be a guest crew member as well as part
of the project management team. Westmacott was also on board Amer Sports
Too in 2001-02.
Completing the team will be 18-foot skiff and multihull sailor Greg
Homann (AUS) and fellow Olympic class sailor Jeroen van Leeuwen (NED).
Each of the three boats that have been announced so far will have
Olympic sailors competing onboard. Sailing on Conrad Humphreys'
Motorola-CHR is Leigh McMillan from Great Britain, who competed in the
Tornado class in Athens, along with fellow countryman and Olympic
Tornado sailor Will Howden. Lining up against them on Team Holmatro,
will be double Olympic medallist Mitch Booth, who will be competing with
his Olympic team mate and triple world champion Herbert Dercksen.
Brouwer commented: `The concept of the Volvo Extreme 40 is terrific. The
challenge is tailor made for me and I look forward to doing battle with
so many highly experienced and successful sailors. It will also be great
to catch up with some familiar faces in the Volvo Ocean Race village.`
The Volvo Extreme 40 class will race in five stopover ports; Sanxenxo
(ESP), Rio de Janeiro (BRA), Baltimore/Annapolis (US), Portsmouth (UK)
and Rotterdam (NED), and have been introduced to the Volvo Ocean Race to
add spectacle to the entertainment package for stopover crowds.
Five Volvo Extreme 40's will be due in Sanxenxo from the 4 November with
racing taking place in the bay from the 6-10 November. To date there are
entries from Team Holmatro, Motorola-CHR and Team Volvo Ocean Race. The
announcement of two further boats will be made shortly.
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