Update from Portimao

Technical 'adjustments' made to ABN AMRO and crew selection news from the Under 30 team

The ABN AMRO Volvo Ocean 70 has been recently been undergoing some planned technical improvements. This as a result of her first long distance trip from Portimao, Portugal up to Rotterdam and back. During the trip all the systems were tested in the rigours of the Gulf of Biscay, the English Channel and the cold windy European winter conditions. The team used this 2,500 mile return trip to develop the on board systems and prioritise changes.

The recent adjustments include changes to the daggerboard system, the steering system that needed to be more precise at the high boat speeds experienced, and small changes to the deck layout. After two weeks on shore, ABN AMRO will be sailing again this week in preparation for its first transatlantic voyage to the United States in April.

To date ABN AMRO has sailed an 41 days in total since being launched on 18 January, covering 3,500 miles. These voyages have included sailing in winds of up to 40 knots and five metre high waves, with a maximum boat speed of 30 knots. The team is confident that boat speeds of 40 knots or more will be possible.

Crew selection

The dreams of eight young sailors today were crushed, as Team ABN AMRO cut almost half of its sailors from its second boat crew selection for the Volvo Ocean Race. Only 12 out of 20 sailors will continue for the second week of the crew selection.

Out of 1,800 sailors who applied to the second boat crew selection, only 20 made it to this final selection round - less than one percent. There are only eight places available on the ABN AMRO second boat, and these eight will be chosen by the end of the second week of competition.

Four more sailors will be chosen on 25 March. Only two sailors per regional group will be selected in the end: two each from Brazil, the Netherlands, the United States and the rest of the world.

Many of the sailors had felt the judges had already partially decided by Thursday as to who would stay and who would go. Some felt as though they were just going through the motions of sailing, just waiting until Saturday morning for the verdict. Others said the verdict was less important to them, that they wanted to squeeze every possible minute of sailing they could before they might be asked to leave.

One of the judges, Hans Horrevoets, said that the final day of sailing on day four had held no surprises for the judges. "It did confirm our earlier impressions," he said. Maurice Paardenkooper, his fellow judge, said that "a good sailor in the selection is not a bad sailor now." Choosing between the sailors would not be easy, as the cream of the crop had already been pre-selected.

The judges had met the night before, pictures assembled on a table in front of them, as they set out to decide which eight would be leaving the group. Some pictures were put to one side, and by the end of the meeting only twelve pictures remained.

The sailors had been told to appear at ten o'clock on the dock next to the ABN AMRO 'pro' boat. Many had skipped breakfast, having been out very late the night before... The group had been invited to a nearby restaurant, the Dockside, for a seafood dinner.

It was their last meal together as an entire group, and the mood was jovial teasing each other about mistakes they had made on board, each other's rooming habits and girlfriends back home. One sailor, Emil Wiberg of Sweden, had somehow managed to break his tooth during the evening.

The following morning as the sailors assembled in one line, the international, Dutch, American and Brazilian selections standing together in groups of five as they awaited the final announcement which would tell them who would go and who would stay.

Various members of TEAM ABN AMRO gathered round the judges and sailing director Roy Heiner to hear the results of the first shake-out. This included the professional first boat sailors, the shore crew and other staff. Second boat skipper Sebastian Josse, navigator Simon Fisher and watch leaders Nick Bice and Scott Beavis were also present.

Roy Heiner began by pointing behind him at the ABN AMRO boat. "After a long time of selection," he said, "we stand before the boat some of you may be sailing in."

Heiner complimented the assembled sailors that "we would love to go sailing with every one of you on the ocean. But unfortunately we have to choose eight sailors." He said that he knew the feedback and decision this day "would hurt for some people. But you should take it as a positive moment in your sailing careers." He ended his introduction by saying, "we wish you all the very best of luck."

The twelve who will continue are:
Phil Harmer – Australia
Luke Molloy – Australia
Lucas Brun – Brazil
Andre Mirsky – Brazil
Edgardo Vieytes – Brazil
Gerd-Jan Poortman – the Netherlands
Simeon Tienpont – the Netherlands
Eduard van Lierde – the Netherlands
Simon Shaw – United Kingdom
Andrew Lewis – United States
Jan Mejer – United States
George Peet – United States

Each of the two judges, Horrevoets and Paardenkooper, gave feedback to the candidates before informing them of their decision. They commented to the twelve, that they had a good feeling for the boat, were solid sailors, were fast, improved quite a bit, were well-rounded and were hard workers.

The 12 were asked to immediately go aboard their boat, Emma Richards' Open 60 Pindar, and get her ready for sailing on Monday.