Assa Abloy takes on Brits for Volvo Ocean Race campaign

Jason Carrington is set for a pivotal role in the Swedish challenge

While there is not yet any outright British challenge for the Volvo Ocean Race, beginning next September, there is strong British involvement in the Swedish ASSA ABLOY campaign. A former member of Lawrie Smith's Silk Cut team, Jason Carrington, is ASSA ABLOY's construction manager.
Carrington is supervising the building of the first of two Farr-designed Volvo 60s to be constructed by British shipwrights Green Marine. Carrington will go on to crew aboard the ASSA ABLOY boat for the race itself, and there are strong signs that other Britons will join the team.

ASSA ABLOY have also signed American Mark Rudiger as co-skipper/navigator. Rudiger had his own project underway and was looking for finance, but with time running out he has decided to throw in his hand with the well-funded Swedish team.

Rudiger commented, 'The Whitbread was a wonderful experience. This round-the-world race is the Mount Everest for sailors. My experience really lived up to that, with world-class sailors, challenging sailing and a great adventure. In all the countries we visited we met many different and interesting cultures. It was so rewarding that I am back again."

Rudiger was navigator of the winning EF Language during the 1997/1998 Whitbread, after a long track record that includes four Transpac wins and Cape Town-to-Rio and Sydney-Hobart victories. Team EF also share key management personnel with the new team, in the shape of Magnus Olsson, Richard Brisius and Johan Salen.

"Mark Rudiger is one of the world's best navigators and is a tremendous resource in ASSA ABLOY's crew. It worked really well in the EF-project; Mark is a fantastic team player and a keen strategist onboard," said
Richard Brisius, project leader for Atlant, which ASSA ABLOY has contracted to manage its entry for the Volvo Ocean Race.

With boats building and Rudi on-board, this is clearly going to be a very serious programme, what everyone will be waiting to hear is who gets the other half of the skipper's job?