There’s something about hardcore offshore sailing that has been known to lure top inshore sailors away from the “comforts” of Cup or Olympic sailing and into the often-brutal environment of the Southern Ocean. It happed with Torben Grael (skipper of the Volvo Ocean Race [VOR] competitor Ericsson), and it happened with American sailing great Jonathan McKee (co-skipper of Estrella Damm in the current Barcelona World Race), and now it has happened again, this time with Brittan’s Ian Walker, who has been named skipper of Green Team, the seventh entry in the 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race and the only boat to fly Ireland colors.

Walker is a sailing legend, having won two Olympic medals, four World championships, and served as skipper/tactician on two America’s Cup campaigns, GBR Challenge and +39 in the past dozen years. More recently, he served as tactician on Eamon Conneely’s TP52, Patches, which won the 2006 TP52 Global Championship. But as far as VO70 sailing goes, his baptism will be one of fire: the 2007 Sydney Hobart Race. Talk about jumping into a new class with both feet!

Green Team’s VO70 was designed by San Diego’s Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design group (their first VO70 to date), and is currently being built by McConaghy’s facility in China. The team’s goal is to have their ride afloat by June of 2008, with a start date of early October for next year’s Volvo Ocean Race.

Posted: December 12, 2007