Volvo Open 70 movistar completes its crew
by Ana Garcia 4 Nov 2005 09:50 GMT
“It’s amazing to see how it planes. The sensations are similar to those I feel in the Tornado, but on a much bigger scale”. This is how Fernando Echavarri summed up his experience sailing aboard the Volvo Open 70 “ movistar”. The current World and European Tornado Champion, number one in the world Tornado rankings, has spent the last few weeks with the crew of the Spanish Round the World yacht, taking a break from his training programme for the up-coming Peking 2008 Olympics.
“It was a spectacular experience –adds Fernando–. And I haven’t just
sailed; I have also sufferred – and enjoyed – the intense training
programme, from sharing the hard work in the gym, to the meals that make up
their diet”. “My mission is to be available to the team whenever they need
me, either here or anywhere else in the world, and that’s what they’ve
trained me for.”
Echavarri joined the “movistar” Volvo Ocean Race team, with everything
involved in such a decision. “We got up each day at about 7 o’clock in the
morning to get to the gym at about 7:30, in time for the fitness trainer to
give us the programme for the day. The plan is based on a general
programme, but it has been adapted to the needs of each member of the crew,
depending on the job he does on board and his physical characteristics.
Working in the gym, you realise that all the crew members are immensely
fit, something that I have seen is essential on a boat as demanding as this
one”.
“El Volvo Open 70 is really hard –he goes on–, and in my opinión, it is too
much work for so few people. Mistakes are twice as expensive and anything
in general on board demands an enormous effort from everybody, without
exceptions”.
Fernando Echavarri will shortly come back aboard the Volvo Open 70 “
movistar”. “They have told me that they are counting on me to keep in
training and to be available at all times to take over from somebody if
necessary, and within the possibilities of my training for the Peking 2008
Olympics, which is my main objective. But there is a chance that I may take
part in one of the stages, or in some inshore regatta of the Volvo Ocean
Race, which would be a dream come true for me”.”But we must not forget that
the Sanxenxo Royal Yacht Club’s “movistar” has already won three world
titles for Galicia and Spain this year (Vaurien with Vigo crew members
Javier Porto and Alberto García, IMS 600 with Pedro Campos and his crew;
and the team of Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz in the Tornado class),
apart from the King’s Cup, the President of the Xunta Trophy and the IMS
500 title of Spanish Champions.
“Fernando has loads of experience in Tornados, and that is very useful
aboard a Volvo Open 70 –remarks Bouwe Bekking, skipper of the “movistar”–.
Moreover, it is easy to work with him, and he has fitted in very well with
the rest of the crew. Fernando will give us a bit more room for manoeuvre
in the crew rotations, something that will be very important in this Round
the World Race”.
“Fernando is not only an excellent dinghy skipper, as we can see from his
impecable record and the fact that he currently leads the world Tornado
class –adds team manager Pedro Campos–. He has sailed with me in the IMS
circuit regattas on many occasions, and his aptitudes as a crew member and
his attitude always make him a great asset. I am sure he will be a good
signing for the Volvo Open 70”.
The crew is complete
A further two members have joined the team to reinforce the “movistar” crew
in the Round the World Race: Noel Drennan and Jonathan Swain. They both
come with the guarantee of a career full of successes at the very highest
level in world ocean racing. “They are tried and tested elite professionals
–states team skipper Bouwe Bekking–. They both know what it is to compete
in the Round the World, and they will be a solid reinforcement for us”.
Noel Drennan (“Nitro”), Ireland 1965. “He is one of the people who knows
most about sails in the world, and that will be vitally important in this
edition”, remarks Bouwe Bekking about him. He comes to the movistar after
sailing with the BMW ORACLE Racing team in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup
regattas. Noel knows what it is to win the Volvo Ocean Race, having formed
part of the crew of the Illbruck in the 2001-02 race, as helmsman and
trimmer, the same posts he holds on the “movistar”. He worked at
North-Sails for 17 years and he is considered one of the best sailmakers in
the world. As a crew member, he has sailed the famous Sydney-Hobart Race 17
times, two Etchells Class championships and he was number one in the
Etchell Class rankings for 3 years running. He was also the sail
co-ordinator for Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes in the America’s Cup in
2000.
“Nitro” knows exactly why he agreed to form part of this project: “As soon
as Pedro and Bouwe called me, I knew that I wanted to be part of this team.
I already knew most of the crew from having sailed with them before. I get
on well with all of them and I know how good they are. Relations between
members of the team are essential for guaranteeing success in a demanding
regatta like the Volvo Ocean Race, although some people still underestimate
this factor. In the Illbruck, we were a close-knit team, and all the cogs
worked perfectly”.
“This year’s race is especially interesting for many reasons, but above all
because of the boat, which is really exciting. The pivoting keel system is
a real challenge for all of us in the crew, but that just stimulates my
curiosity to take part in this regatta”.
Noel also has an opinion about Fernando Echavarri: “It’s very simple to
sail with Fernando. In general, Olympic class yachtsmen are good crew
members that can adapt to any situation and to any kind of boat. Fernando
is no exception”.
Jonathan Swain (“Jono”), South Africa 1967. “Jono is a good trimmer and a
fantastic helmsman – sums up Bouwe Bekking–. An all-rounder, which is
always useful in offshore sailing”. This will be Jonothan Swain’s third
Round the World Race. His experience in ocean racing includes the Volvo
Ocean Race 2001-02 on board the Team Tyco – which finished fourth – and the
Whitbread 1997-98, with the Chessie Racing –sixth–. He has also taken part
in the America’s Cup – the last time aboard the South African yacht
Shosholoza–, two Fastnet Races, three seasons on the Farr 40 circuit and
another three seasons on the Transpac 52 US & Caribbean Circuit as trimmer
aboard the Rosebud.
“I am delighted to form part of this team –remarks the South African–.
Before coming here, I knew everybody except Xabi, but he has made it easy
for me, because he has a fantastic character. The crew has already sailed a
lot of miles as a team, and you can see that as soon as you go aboard,
because they work as a team and everybody knows exactly what to do. It has
been very easy for me to adapt”.
Jonathan Swain talks of his previous experience in the Round the World Race
and he compares it with this edition: “On the VOR 60s, there were 12 of us
aboard and the crew dominated the boat. On the Volvo Open 70, there are
only 10 of us, and the boat clearly dominates the crew. This time, the key
will clearly be learning to dominate the boat, being able to slow it down
and prevent it from running away from us in high winds”.
“The inshore regattas we will be doing for the first time this year, I
think are a great idea, excellent for giving the public a chance to see the
boats and making the Volvo Ocean Race more popular. For us, the crew, it
really isn’t a problem, because it’s only one day and it really doesn’t
upset anything. I hope that my experience in upwind-downwind regattas will
be useful to the team in these events: They account for 22% of the total
score in the Round the World, don’t forget”.
“I love Galicia. Apart from being a beautiful place, it is perfect from the
point of view of our training, because we have a wide range of different
sailing conditions within a few miles, the best way to test the boat”.