K-Challenge announce crew line-up

One faces return to race with Sebastien Col at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series

K-Challenge has announced its crew list for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series which will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, over 1-14 February 2009.

This sailing team, put together by Sebastien Col, will arrive in Auckland on January 23, in order to start training with the nine other competing teams. FRA93 is now ready to sail again, and a training session against other teams is now being organised for January.

Stephane Kandler, K-Challenge’s CEO: “The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series will be a fantastic opening for the 2009 season for K-Challenge, who will represent France for this great event, which is going to be exceptional. Sebastien Col gathered a top quality team with him: they are sailors who have a huge experience of America’s Cup Class boats and of match racing, besides their impressive prize lists. Our goal will be to use the maximum out of this potential, and our leitmotiv will be to go as far as possible in the competition.”

Crew list :

- Bow: Jean-Marie Dauris (United Internet Team Germany 2007, Le Défi Areva 2003)
- Mid-bow: Christophe André (Areva Challenge 2007, Equipe de France de Match Racing with Sebastien Col)
- Mast: Jann Neergaard (BMW Oracle Racing 2007, Alinghi 2003)
- Pit: Gilles Favennec (Areva Challenge 2007, French match racing team with Sebastien Col, Le Défi Areva 2003)
- Pit Assist: Bruno Jeanjean (America’s Cup with the French teams in 1992 and 1995)
- Grinder: Federico Giovanelli (Desafio Español 2007, Prada Challenge 2003)
- Grinder: Carlo Castellano (Desafio Español 2007, Mascalzone Latino 2003, Il Moro de Venezia 1992)
- Trimmer / Spinnaker: Olivier Douillard (Areva Challenge 2007, Equipe de France de Match Racing with Sebastien Col, Le Défi Areva 2003)
- Trimmer/Jib: Christian Scherrer (+39 Challenge 2007, Alinghi 2003, Equipe de France de Match Racing with Sebastien Col)
- Grinder: Enrico de Maria (Alinghi 2007, 2003)
- Trimmer/Main Sail: Yann Gouniot (Alinghi 2007, France3 1995, Ville de Paris 1992, French Kiss 1987, France3 1983
- Traveller: Erwan Israel (Equipe de France de Match Racing with Sebastien Col)
- Helmsman: Sebastien Col (Areva Challenge 2007, Le Défi Areva 2003)
- Tactician: Rod Dawson (BMW Oracle Racing 2007, Oneworld 2003)
- Strategist: Fred Guilmin (Areva Challenge 2007, Equipe de France de Match Racing with Sebastien Col, Le Défi Areva 2003)
- Grinder : Virgilio Torrecilla (Desafio Español 2007, Bravo España 2000)
- Navigator : Philippe Mourniac (United Internet Team Germany 2007, Le Défi Areva 2003, Ville de Paris 1992)

“It is a great satisfaction to have gathered a powerful crew for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series with K-Challenge”, says Sebastien Col. “In this team, we will have seven sailors who took part to the 2008 World Match Racing Tour with me; moreover they all won at least one of the events of the circuit.

For the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, I relied on several people to build the best team by co-optation, so that each person in the group has already sailed at least once with another one. So we have a group that starts with common human bases.

It has been a lot of work, but my method was to involve a maximum of team members in the building of the team, looking at the people working together on board.”