The new SIEMENS TP52 ready to sail in Malaga

Everything is ready now for the V Regata Ciudad de Málaga-Costa del Sol to start tomorrow and run through Sunday. In addition to the many boat classes that participate each year, this year's edition will feature an important part of the Spanish TP52 fleet.

The Andalucian regata will also be the stage for the premiere of the new SIEMENS of the Mallorcan owner Pedro Perelló who chartered the boat and crew that were proclaimed world champions a month ago with the Irish Patches. The boat arrived last week in Palma aboard a cargo ship from Miami. She was fitted there and sailed to Málaga with most of the crew who took advantage of the trip to fine tune the boat.

The new SIEMENS TP52 yacht in Málaga's yacht club

For the 2006 season SIEMENS and Pedro Perelló will rely on a top of the line boat and crew which will be practically the one that took Patches to world championship, with most important the British Olympic medalists Ian WalkerAfterguard of +39 Challenge


Click for more info and Iain PercyHelmsman of +39 Challenge


Click for more info. Walker, double Olympic medalist in the 470 and Star classes in Atlanta and Sydney respectively, was the skipper of GBR Challenge, the British team in the 31st America's Cup, and is currently the tactician of +39 Challenge, the Italian America's Cup challenger, a position he will also hold aboard SIEMENS. Percy, Olympic champion in the Finn class is the skipper of +39 Challenger, while he will be on the helm of SIEMENS during most of the 2006 Breitling MedCup.

For her maiden races in Málaga, on the helm of SIEMENS will be Jeremy Robinson, helmsman during the Rolex TP52 World Championship, while Ian Walker will be the boat's tactician. Finally, Lou Varney, winner of the America's Cup aboard America 3, will also be part of the crew.