Racing What's on:
Kiel Week event website at
http://www.kieler-woche.de/eng/livecenter/olympic.php
NI sailor Ryan Seaton is competing.
Irish Laser Class Association Connaught
Championship Lough Derg Yacht Club June 28th & 29th
Volvo RYA Keelboat sailor lands prestigious Volvo Ocean Race squad spot
Young Northern
Irishman Scott Millar could be on the verge of becoming the first Volvo
RYA Keelboat Programme sailor ever to take part in the prestigious Volvo
Ocean Race after being named in the squad for Ireland’s Green Team
entry.
Millar has been
invited by Green Team skipper double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker
to join his team in their preparations for the gruelling 37,000 nautical
mile, 10-leg epic, which gets underway in Alicante on Saturday 11
October.
At 25 the
Newtownards trimmer is the youngest member of the Green Team squad that
is already hard at work at Endeavour Quay, Gosport preparing the team’s
new Volvo Open 70 for sea trials.
Now Millar has his
eyes firmly set on impressing the Green Team hierarchy in the coming
weeks to seal his place in the final Volvo Ocean Race crew.
He said: “It has
been a lifelong dream for me to do this race and it would mean so much
to me, especially sailing for an Irish team and representing my country
at the highest level. I wouldn’t be part of this set up if it wasn’t for
the support and opportunities I’ve had through the Volvo RYA Keelboat
Programme.”
Millar first came
to John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST) trustee Walker’s attention when he
was the boat captain for the JMST-loaned Farr 45 John Merricks
last year and impressed Walker with his attitude and ability both on and
off the boat.
With the Volvo
Ocean Race stipulating that each boat must have two sailors aged under
30 onboard during each leg, Millar is one of four sailors in the squad
that meets that criteria.
Walker said: “I have been looking out for talented young Irish sailors
to join the team for a while now. Scott is not only a good sailor but he
is smart and has a great physique for sailing these boats.”
Meanwhile also
confirmed as part of Green Team are Barcelona World Race winner Damian
Foxall (IRL) as watch leader and America’s Cup navigator Ian Moore (IRL),
who was named as a member of Britain’s America’s Cup Team Origin
challenger last year.
The Volvo RYA
Keelboat Programme was launched in 2003 to provide the opportunity for
talented young sailors aged between 16-24 to break into the world of
keelboat sailing.
David Atkinson,
RYA Racing Services Manager said: “This is a tremendous honour for the
Programme. When the Programme was launched, one of its primary
objectives was to have a sailor involved in a Volvo Ocean Race campaign.
“We said it would
take five years for the Programme to gain the recognition and
credibility amongst the high performance sailing fraternity that could
enable a young sailor to be invited to join a Volvo Ocean Race campaign.
Five years later and that aim is now close to being realised.”
