CAMPER announce Volvo Ocean Race crew

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Just six months after Camper, the Spanish footwear brand, announced that it would take part in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race, skipper Chris Nicholson today confirmed the sailing team and key shore team members for the CAMPER campaign.

The CAMPER team, which is being managed by Emirates Team New Zealand, brings a wealth of experience to the race. Team members have between them no less than three Olympic campaigns, 17 America's Cups, 22 Volvo/Whitbread races and numerous world championship titles.

Nicholson said of his crew: "This is one of the hardest events to win in sailing and we set out to bring together the best sailing team possible.

"We have a great mixture of experience and youth; I have been lucky enough to sail with most of them over the years and we have a team that will work really well together.

"The spirit within the CAMPER team, and by that I mean everyone, from the design, office, management, build, sponsors, reflects a real genuine passion to achieve," says Nicholson. "I believe that we have created a team that can win the Volvo Ocean Race. We have a great sponsor in Camper and we are looking forward to sharing this race with them."

Dalia Saliamonas, Project Director, CAMPER in the Volvo Ocean Race, says: "Six months after announcing our participation, it is fantastic to announce this exciting team. We are incredibly proud to be working with such a talented, experienced and passionate crew, and we are looking forward to the journey ahead."

Under the eye of CAMPER's principal designer Marcelino Botin and the build team at Cookson Boats in Auckland, construction of the CAMPER boat is well underway with the hull now complete. The team plans to have the boat in the water by late April 2011 where it will undergo sea trials before being shipped to Spain.

CAMPER SAILING TEAM

Chris Nicholson (41), Australia
Skipper
An electrician by trade, Chris is a veteran of three Volvo Ocean Races (2001-02, 2005-06, 2008-09) and has been sailing professionally for over 20 years. He has represented Australia at two Olympic Games (2000 & 2004), and has six world championship titles across the 49er and 505 classes.

CAMPER crew (L-R): Roberto Bermudez de Castro, Adam Minoprio, Andrew McLean, Daryl Wislang, Hamish Hooper - Photos: CAMPER.

Stuart Bannatyne (39), New Zealand
Watch Captain
Stu has been a professional yachtsman for 16 years and competed in the last five Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Races, three times aboard the winning boat. He has won numerous inshore championships and ocean races, has broken the 24-hour world record distance for a monohull on five separate occasions (the most by any person), and was named New Zealand Sailor of the Year in 2009.

Will Oxley (45), Australia
Navigator
Will is a marine scientist with over 200,000 nautical miles of ocean racing on his CV, including sailing and shore-based positions in two Volvo Ocean Races (2005-06, 2008-09), the BT Global Challenge (2000-01) and the Oryx Quest Non Stop RTW (Doha 2005/6).

Roberto "Chuny" Bermudez de Castro (40), Spain
Driver/trimmer
An industrial engineer, Chuny has competed in two America's Cup Campaigns (1995 & 2000) and represented Spain at the Athens Olympics in 2004. He has taken part in four Volvo Ocean Races, most recently as skipper of Delta Lloyd in 2008-09.

Adam Minoprio (25), New Zealand
Driver/trimmer
Adam is a rising star in yachting. In 2009 he made his mark by winning the World Match Racing Tour as skipper and helm of the BlackMatch team after only two years on the professional circuit. Adam and his team were recently named 2010 Singapore Airlines Sailor of the Year.

Rob Salthouse (45), New Zealand
Driver/Trimmer
Rob is a sailmaker who has a sailing career spanning more than 25 years. He has taken part in no less that eight Sydney Hobart races, five Admiral's Cups, and four America's Cups as part of Emirates Team New Zealand. This will be his third Volvo Ocean Race (2001-02, 2008-09).

CAMPER crew (L-R): Rob Salthouse, Mike Pammenter, Stuart Bannatyne, Tony Rae, Will Oxley - Photos: CAMPER.

Tony Rae (49), New Zealand
Driver/Trimmer
Tony brings a wealth of experience to the CAMPER team with over 20 years as a professional sailor. He was onboard Steinlager 2 during the 1989 Whitbread when the crew won every leg of the race and has been a core team member of New Zealand America's Cup campaigns since 1987. This will be his fifth Volvo Ocean Race (1985-86, 1989-90 1993-94, 1997-98).

Michael Pammenter (27), South Africa
Bowman
Mike is a finance and economics graduate whose first experience of the Volvo Ocean Race was in 2008 when he joined Telefonica Blue as one of the new "under-30s" and was the youngest sailor in the race.

Daryl Wislang (29), New Zealand
Bowman
Sailmaker Daryl started sailing when he was ten and it is a passion that has turned into a career. His previous race history includes being sailmaker and part-time in-port racer with Movistar in 2005-06, and as bowman on Telefonica Blue in 2008-09.

Andrew McLean (31), New Zealand
Pit/Trimmer
A qualified mechanical engineer, Andrew was part of the winning Emirates Team New Zealand team during the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger elimination series in 2007. He took part in his first round the world race onboard Green Dragon in the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Hamish Hooper (32), New Zealand
Media Crew Member
Hamish had a background in TV commercials and advertising but a slight turn of fate one day found Hamish being involved in sailing television work and he has been involved in filming sailing events and working alongside teams ever since.