Karol Jablonski new skipper of German America's Cup team

[Source: United Internet Team Germany] Karol Jablonski will steer the German America’s Cup team into its future: He has signed a contract as a skipper of United Internet Team Germany. The Pole with the German passport has made a powerful unit out of the Spanish Team Desafio Español 2007 before and led it into the semi final of the Louis Vuitton Cup in a very convincing way. Not until there the ESP 97 lost to the current challenger – Emirates Team New Zealand – after exciting races with 2-5.

“It is a success for us having won over Karol Jablonski for our team. His outstanding skills as a sailor, which he prove as a skipper of the Spanish team, and the fact that Germany is home for him since many years make him be the ideal person for this position in our team. With him we will be able to work out a promising concept and a strong team for another German participation in the America’s Cup”, says Syndicate Head Michael Scheeren.

“I’m really looking forward to this new challenge. I’m very optimistic that we can build a competitive team and I accept the challenge of the 33rd America’s Cup”, said Karol Jablonski after signing the contract in the German House in Valencia, the base of the United Internet Team Germany.

His basic skills in sailing Jablonski learned in Poland, his country of birth. Later the Steinhuder Meer in Lower Saxony, Germany became his home. From there he gained lots of successes, and today he is one of the world’s best match race sailors. Among other successes he won the Admiral’s Cup in 1993 and the Mumm 18 World Championship in 1999. He became Match Race World Champion in 2001 and currently ranks on fifth place in the World Match Race Ranking.

Syndicate Head Michael Scheeren (left) and Karol Jablonski on the rooftop of the United Internet Team Germany base in Valencia. Jablonski is as of today the new skipper of the German team. Valencia, 28 June 2007. Photo copyright United Internet Team Germany