Howden joins Ecover

Golding finalises crew ahead of Venice opener for iShares Cup

British Olympic Tornado sailor Will Howden is to join Ecover Sailing Team onboard the Ecover Extreme 40 for the first round of the iShares Cup 2009 in Venice Italy. Will joins the team as 'bowman' alongside skipper Mike Golding (GBR), Bruno Dubois (BEL) and Fraser Brown (NZL). Venice is the first city in the six stop European tour, with racing taking place between 15th -17th May.

Each race day involves up to 8 regatta-style inshore races, held close to the shore and the viewing public. With the iShares Extreme 40 races averaging just 12 minutes each and involving high-speed manoeuvres, sail hoists and drops, this is a punishing physical challenge for the whole team, especially the 'bow'.

Running the front of the boat will be Will Howden (GBR), he is no stranger to these boats having been on the circuit since 2005. Will has also competed at two Olympic Games from Great Britain in the Tornado Catamaran.

"It has been great to step onboard with Mike and team," commented Will. "I love these boats, they really are a thrill ride and we have a huge amount of diversity in our team. We all bring something to the table through our previous experiences and I think we have the potential for some good results on the water".

The team has been training in Hyères, France as they prepare for the circuit and are now on their way to the first event in Venice, Italy. "It will be a bit of a baptism of fire for me!" said skipper Mike Golding. Our decision to join the iShares Cup came less than a month ago, since then we have assembled a great team, done a weeks training with our newly acquired Extreme 40 and put all the elements in place for our first event with the Ecover X40 in Venice. Like the iShares races themselves it's been a mad dash! But we will be there and raring to get started!