It was not clear until mid-August who would be manning the last of the seven boats built: The wind turbine manufacturer Vestas is sponsoring a Danish last-minute team. This means that Denmark's second participation after 1985/86 is perfect. However, there are only two Danes in the crew.
The team
The preparation time of less than two months is likely to be too short, at least in our experience, to be at the front right from the start. It is also the first race for four of the team. The learning curve for the entire team would therefore have to be extremely steep in order to play a serious role. A top place would be a surprise.
The skipper
Australian Chris Nicholson, 45, has already taken part four times. He won his first race in 2001/02 as watch leader on "Amer Sports One" and came second in the last race as skipper of the Spanish/New Zealand team Camper. He was also rumoured to be the leader of such a cooperation for the upcoming race. However, after this fell through and the New Zealanders withdrew from the regatta in order to concentrate fully on the America's Cup, Nicholson apparently persuaded the Danish sponsor to continue the involvement that had already begun.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
