Volvo Ocean Race History with Pierre Fehlmann

Alicante (Spain) – December 23, 2012 – Swiss sailor Pierre Fehlmann, the only person to skipper an entry in five Whitbread Round the World Races, has joined Lady Pippa Blake, Sir Chay Blyth, Tracy Edwards, Skip Novak and Magnus Olsson as an ambassador to the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta and Reunion which takes place November 1-5 in Alicante, Spain.

“Fehlmann and his crew also won the third leg, turning in a barnstorming performance to break the race record by two days and 16 hours.”

A co-founder of the Swiss Ocean Racing Club, Fehlmann took a line honours victory in the 1985-86 race aboard the maxi UBS Switzerland, completing the 26,000 nautical mile course in 117 days and four hours. In each of his five Whitbread Round the World Races Fehlmann’s crews were made up entirely of Swiss nationals.

He established the Swiss shipyard Decision SA in order to build UBS Switzerland, the first maxi yacht to be built in composite in the country and the fruition of knowledge gained during his two previous races.

After pulling off a brilliant tactical move on the first leg of the 1985-86 race which resulted in UBS Switzerland finishing 16 hours ahead of the fleet in Cape Town, Fehlmann explained: “We based our strategy on a computer study of the weather patterns for the past four years.”

Fehlmann and his crew also won the third leg, turning in a barnstorming performance to break the race record by two days and 16 hours. An entry from their log then read: ‘We are crazy. Eighteen to 20 knots with flanker, close to broaching, just under the boat’s safety limit. But we don’t know what the safety limit is’.

Now, as the fleet in the 2011-12 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race prepares to tackle the world’s oceans once again, Fehlmann will join many of his friends and former competitors in what will be the biggest ever gathering of former Whitbread sailors, at the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta and Reunion in Alicante, Spain.

A celebration of the legacy of the world’s premiere ocean race, the event includes racing and social events as well as plenty of time for renewing old sailing rivalries and dusting off precious memories of exploits in previous races around the world.

About the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta and Reunion
• The first ever official reunion of all who have sailed in the world’s premier ocean race since the inaugural race in 1973-74
• To be held in Alicante, Spain from 1-5 November 2011, week between Alicante In-Port Race and the start of leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race
• A full racing schedule over two days
• Will conclude with a departure ceremony and parade of sail to escort the Volvo Ocean Race fleet to the start line for leg one
• A rich shoreside programme includes a regatta prizegiving, a gala dinner and a host of other social events
• Public Q&A after racing
• Legends entries open for public viewing
• 148 boats have crossed the start line in the 37-year history of The Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race
• 1974 crew competed in the first 10 events
• The first 27,000 nautical-mile race first took place 37 years ago (as the Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74), testing the crews against some of the most ferocious elements that man can encounter
• The Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 will be the 11th edition of the event

For information on the Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta, please contact:
Lizzie Ward
Mob +44 7801 185 320
Lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.com

Howard Gibbons – Project Manager (UK)
Mob +44 771 4455544
Howard.gibbons@volvooceanrace.com

Sophie Luther – Communications Manager (Spain)
Tel + 34 966 011 152 Mob +34 606 894 940
Sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.com