Star legend to help Team Delta Lloyd

Ed Adams to coach Dutch Volvo team

US Sailing Coach Ed Adams will reinforce Team Delta Lloyd during the Boston stopover. He will support the Dutch entry in the upcoming two weeks, allowing regular coach Maurice Paardenkooper (NED) access to valuable information about local conditions. Adams is also familiar with the Volvo Ocean Race and he has an extensive record as professional sailor. Team Delta Lloyd also announced the return of Brazilian trimmer Marcelo Ferreira for the In-Port Race this Saturday, 9 May.

Adams knows the waters around Boston pretty well, as he comes from the region. He lives in Newport, 80 miles south of Boston, and sailed many races in the area. He was occasional tactician of the winning team illbruck in the 2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race and joined the crew for two legs. More recently, Adams coached TP52 Team Caixa Galicia with Team Delta Lloyd's skipper Roberto Bermúdez de Castro (ESP), trimmer/pitman David Pella (ESP) and watch leader Stu Wilson (NZL) onboard. That is how the twofold Rolex Sailor of the Year (1987 and 1991) came into contact with the Dutch entry.

Adams' first impression of Team Delta Lloyd was positive: "I have walked through the Volvo Ocean Race village for a hour and didn't see any sailors, except for the Delta Lloyd crew. All sailors are helping, which is good."

"'Chuny - Roberto Bermúdez de Castro - sent me an e-mail just after they passed the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha in third position", explained Adams how he got involved with the team. He has known the Spanish skipper since 1991, when both of them participated at the Pre-Olympics in the Olympic Star Class. Adams won the regatta, but lost the national selection for the Olympic Games to Mark Reynolds, who took gold in Barcelona and later again in Sydney. "I won the Pre-Olympics twice and the World title in 1987, but Olympic medals are missing", said Adams.

After his sailing career in the Star, he continued as coach of the US Olympic Sailing team of 2000 and 2004. He also started to work as navigator/tactician on big boats. He participated at the 2000 America's Cup as navigator onboard of Young America. Two years later, he won the Laser Master Worlds in Hyannis/Massachusetts.

The Boston In-Port Race is scheduled for Saturday 9 May. On Monday Delta Lloyd was put back in the water.