Aussie VO70 leaves shed

First images of Grant Warrington's new Don Jones flier

For the last two years, the Premier Challenge team have been quietly burning the midnight oil, designing and building their Volvo 70 racer, destined to become Australia’s only entrant into the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006.

Today marked the beginning of a more public persona, as Hart Marine and Premier Challenge joined forces to cajole the hull out of the shed, and on to a low loader truck.

After tens of thousands of man-hours in design and build time, the appearance of this first ever all-Australian effort, indicated to the outside world that the Premier Challenge indeed mean business and are on their way to the start line in Spain in November 2005.

Mal Hart, Chief Builder, directed proceedings to ensure the move went off without a hitch: “This has been a great project for us to be involved in. The Volvo Rule stipulatesallsorts of specific weight and strength ratios, and so it has been both exciting and challenging. I am proud that we have been able to exceed all expectations with regard to these issues - it is a really satisfying outcome.”

Together with the keel, painted bright orange in colour, the hull is bound for Melbourne Docklands, home of the Melbourne Stopover in January 2006. The keel will be fitted on Wednesday and then the yacht will perform an inversion test in front of the Waterfront City site on Thursday 7 July.

“Its fantastic to have reached this milestone,” enthused Wharington, Head of the Syndicate and known for his hands-on involvement in the projects he drives, “the quality of workmanship in the hull is superb and I commend everyone who has worked so very hard to get to this point. We are now well on the way to getting out on the water, and with only 124 days to the start every second counts.”

The hull, designed by Don Jones (designer of Wharington’s other maxi racer Skandia-Wild Thing has been painted white, with Construction Partner ING Real Estate’s branding towards the stern, and 'Made in Melbourne Victoria' boldly stamped on the bow, reflecting the Victorian Government’s support of this project. The secret of Australia’s first ever Volvo Ocean Race entry Title Sponsor remains a mystery.

More photos on page 2...