New sponsor for Polish Velux 5 Oceans campaign

Zbigniew Gutkowski renames the former Bagages Superior, Operon

With less than two weeks to go until the start of the Velux 5 Oceans, Polish ocean racer Zbigniew Gutkowski has signed a title sponsorship deal with publishing house Operon. The 36-year-old skipper, known as Gutek, announced the new partnership with Operon, a major supplier of educational materials and promoter of education in Poland, to a packed press conference in Warsaw.

The title sponsorship is a massive boost for Gutek’s campaign, and follows on from his purchase of the proven Eco 60 Globe in August. Globe will now be renamed Operon Racing. She will be completely repainted and will proudly display Operon’s livery on the yacht's hulls, decks and sails when Gutek starts the 30,000 mile singlehanded lap of the planet on 17 October.

Gutek arrived in La Rochelle, France, last week after completing a solo qualifying passage on Operon Racing, during which the yacht was put through its paces. Yesterday she was lifted out of the water ready for repainting in Operon’s colours. Meanwhile Gutek flew back to his home country to announce the news to journalists.

“It is fantastic to secure a title sponsor at this point in the campaign,” Gutek said. “I am very happy to have Operon on board for the Velux 5 Oceans.”

Lidia Mikołajczyk-Gmur, Director General of Velux Poland, added: “We got involved with the Velux5 Oceans because as a producer of windows and solar panels we try to tame the same forces of nature as sailors do. We hope that Gutek will be not only the first Pole to take part in the Velux 5 Oceans, but also the first to race around the world solo.”

Operon Racing, formerly Bagages Superior, is a Groupe Finot designed former Vendée Globe winner - in 1991 French solo sailing legend and BOC Challenge veteran Alain Gautier steered her to victory. Four years later she returned to the Vendée Globe with Eric Dumont, just missing out on a podium place to finish fourth. Operon Racing is also a veteran of three Transat Jacques Vabre races. In 2000 Operon Racing was rebuilt and five years later she was given a complete overhaul, putting her back at the front line of modern racing yachts.

One of Poland's best known and most experienced sailors, Gutek was a watch captain onboard the Warta-Polpharma maxi-catamaran in The Race, the non-stop race around the world for multihulls. In 2005 he skippered the ORMA 60 ex-Bonduelle in the Nokia Oops Cup. He also attempted to break the monohull record for a non-stop circumnavigation onboard the Volvo 60 Bank BPH (formerly ASSA ABLOY), but damage forced the crew into Cape Town after 9,500 miles.