Such an ambitious goal requires the assistance of the best experts, so the choice of the crew is one of the most important aspects of the project. “The quality of the boat is crucial, for any additional speed is always an advantage, but the really essential aspect is a good human team which can optimize their potential - says Campos -. In fact, my first decision during the project development phase was to choose the team leader and skipper. I chose Bouwe Bekking because I think he meets all the requirements : excellent sailor, with extended experience in races around the world, good partner, responsible, hard working and knowledgeable about Spanish racing and racers, for he has been sailing in Spain for quite some time”.

Campos and Bekking will have the responsibility to choose each and every one of the members of the crew to sail around the world on the VO70 Telefónica MoviStar. “The new boat will demand an extra effort from the crew, and we need people who have done the job before”, the team leader explains.

A good crew is not enough to face a 31,250 mile race around the world, with legs up to 7,000 miles under the hardest sailing conditions. The MoviStar project managers have prepared their list of candidates based upon considerations such as experience, adaptability and talent. “That’s why we have sought experienced sailors — says Campos -. The result is a crew combining the experience of several members who have already won a Round the World Race, with the class of a few World Champions and Olympic medal winners”.

Apart from Bouwe Bekking (skipper), Pedro Campos (inshore helmsman) and Iker Martínez (offshore helmsman), the list of professional sailors on boards the VO70 MoviStar is completed with well-known names in international racing such as Pepe Ribes, Chris Nicholson, Xabi Fernández, Andrew Cape or Stu Bannatyne.

Pepe Ribes (Alicante, Spain, 1971) will be one of the two bowmen on the boat. “He is in great demand in the international racing circuit for he is very talented - says Bekking. Pepe is always positive and eager to work”. His experience in ocean races includes last year’s Volvo Ocean Race on board the Amer Sports One, with Grant Dalton and Bouwe Bekking himself. “Since we crossed the finish line of the Volvo Race at Kiel, all I have been thinking of is sailing the race again”, says Ribes, who confesses that “my favourite stages are the extreme ones, in the Indic Ocean”.

Pepe will also be in charge of onboard communications : “I will act as the link between the boat and anyone interested in the race : they will be able to watch at home all the pictures, the videos, the interviews that I will make and send through the on-board satellite system”. But that is not all : one day of the Volvo Ocean race must be stretched to the full, and that is especially the case with Pepe : “I am also in charge of all epoxy and carbon repairs that might be necessary ; the internal systems (engine, generators and water purification unit), hydraulics, and the pivoting keel systems are also my responsibility”.

Pepe Ribes has been sailing since he was 7, and became a professional in 1992. He has been a member of the best crews in the national IMS circuit and has extensive experience in international races such as the Giraglia Rolex Cup, the Antigua Sailing Week, the Sardinia Rolex Cup and America’s Cup, where he was a member of the Bravo España team in Auckland and, last year, of the +39 team at the Louis Vuitton Acts in Valencia.

Xabi Fernández (Guipúzcoa, Spain, 1976), Trimmer, is Iker Martínez’s partner in his 49er. “He might have won a gold medal, but he is no prima donna - says the team manager. He participates in all chores, is disciplined and is always willing to learn”. Besides the gold medal won at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, he has won the 49er World Championship twice - known as the Formula One of the seas - as well as a European 49er Championship, several second positions, an IMS 600 World Championship and a 2^nd place, to name but a few of his achievements. His enthusiasm over this project is one of his greatest advantages ; as his first statements after the historic victory in Athens seem to indicate : “Now that we have fulfilled our Olympic dream it is time for the next : to participate in the Round the World race”.

“His experience in as demanding a class as the 49er will be very useful to us on the VO70, for Xabi is used to sail at a very high speed for a long time, in very aggressive style. He is very good technically and very strong physically”, concludes Pedro Campos.

Andrew Cape (Australia, 1962),Navigator. “A world class, no-nonsense sailor. He always does his job and is also really skilful on deck” ; that is the short, to-the-point definition of Bekking of one of the most experienced members of the VO70 MoviStar crew. He was on board Dennis Conner’s Toshiba during the Whitbread 1997-98 and on Chris Dickson’s Tokyo during the 1993-94 edition ; however, he is probable better known for being a member of Russel Coutts’s Alinghi crew when he won last year’s America’s Cup. Considered as one of the best Navigators in the world, Andrew Cape already has experience competing under the banner of Telefónica MoviStar, after the historic runner-up position clinched by the team at the Admiral’s Cup in 2003. “My specific role to contribute to winning the VOR is to maximize the potential performance of the boat in the water by calculating future wind directions and speeds. To that end, training is essential, for that will give me a wealth of information to achieve maximum performance before the race starts in November. I am really excited about the new VO70 class and the crew of Telefónica MoviStar : they are the best.”

Chris Nicholson (Australia, 1969), Watch Captain, and “one of the fastest helmsmen I have sailed with - says Bekking -. He is always thinking of ways to improve performance. Chris is a professional electrician, so he never gives up on any difficulty until it is solved”. His impressive résumé includes extensive experience in Olympic racing with the Australian team, three 49er World Championships, three 505 World Titles, and being named the Australian Yachtsman of the Year on two occasions. It can be said that Chris has competed practically in all types of boats. During the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-02, he sailed on the Amer Sports One next to Bekking and Ribes.

Stuart Bannatyne (New Zealand, 1971), Watch Captain. “He is a great asset for the team. Stu has been involved in the project from the start. He is very methodical in everything he does. His assistance has been invaluable when we were deciding the final design”. MoviStar’s skipper expresses his trust in the New Zealander, Watch Captain on the legendary Mari Cha and one of the greatest experts on the Volvo Ocean Race. “He has already won the Round the World Race on two occasions, proving his ability as a racer and helmsman”. Bannatyne won the 1993-94 Whitbread on board the Grant Dalton’s New Zealand Endeavour, and won the 2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race as Watch Captain on Illbruck. This will be his fourth Round the World Race.

Info Melendy Britt