La Rochelle, France, May 16th, 2002

Reflections in La Rochelle

As the Volvo Ocean Race nears its conclusion, with just a few weeks left,
it is natural that people become reflective, not only the sailing teams
but also the shore teams as well.

Here, we talk to Richard Mason, a first timer in this premier ocean race,
racing onboard second placed Assa Abloy, who has had the adventure of his
life, and can’t wait to do the race again.

“It has been absolutely fantastic,” he says. “It’s a brilliant race, and
it’s been the experience of a life time for me, being a first timer, and
one of the younger guys around. It has been every dream come true for me
and more! I am a little concerned as to what to do in four weeks time.”

Often at this stage in the event, the crews are looking forward to
spending some time ashore, and some do not want to consider doing another
race like this again, but Mason is different. He is firmly hooked. “My
hand would be the first one up, I would definitely do it again,” he says
in answer to the question. “It’s a brilliant race. There is no question
about it. It’s the best round the world yacht race there is in the world,
certainly fully crewed. There is nothing harder. Some of the guys that
have been coming into the race and doing one or two legs, guys that did
the last race, have said that the boats are that much more extreme, that
much harder to sail and physically and mentally. It’s a fantastic
challenge, and you have to have that challenge. I hope there is another
Volvo Ocean Race.”

It’s been a true adventure for Mason; he says it is like a dream come
true. His best memory, the one that sticks in his mind the strongest, is
winning the leg in to Auckland, Mason’s hometown. “It will stick in my
mind for ever. Every sailor from New Zealand dreams of that. To have
that dream come true… I still have trouble actually realising that it did
come true, winning the leg coming in to Auckland and winning the Sydney
Hobart. For me that was a massive high point.”

But it is the Southern Ocean that makes this event special and continues
to lure the sailors back, race after race. “You just can’t take away
the awesome beauty of that place,” explains Mason. “It’s a pretty horrid
place, but it’s pretty fantastic and there is something that keeps drawing
you back there. Definitely the best sailing in the world.”

The Volvo Ocean Race has been a huge learning experience for Mason, whose
teammates are fully international. “There are so many memories to take
away, the sailing, the working of the team, the way the whole campaign has
been run. We have a real mix of nationalities and humour onboard the
boat. We have really developed as a team throughout the race and we are
enjoying one another’s company onboard now and I think that is quite a
significant feature of the Assa Abloy crew. We have developed together
over the race. By now a lot of the other teams will be ripping each
other’s hair and teeth out at the moment, but we are having a great laugh.
I think the significance of the team is that we have learned to survive
together. Down in the Southern Ocean, egos aside, whatever you have to
do, you have to do it to survive that particular moment, and someone’s
particular character might have something to offer there. That has all
come together now, and every one is in the position to tease the next guy
and there is plenty of that going on. Between the English and the
French, and the Spanish in amongst it, it is very, very humourous, and of
course, we have the Kiwis to keep everybody honest.”

Richard Mason was talking to Guy Swindells.

Contact in La Rochelle / Media Centre:
Mark Howell, Media Director, tel: +44 7818 408 568
Lizzie Green, Race Press Officer tel: +44 7801 185 320

La Rochelle, France, May 16th, 2002

World Record Ratified for illbruck Challenge

The World Sailing Speed Record Council today ratified the world record for
the greatest distance sailed in 24 hours by a monohull set by illbruck
Challenge during leg seven of the Volvo Ocean Race when they achieved a .
24-hour run of 484 nautical miles on April 29-30.

The crew will now receive certificates from the World Sailing Speed Record
Council (WSSRC) acknowledging their achievement. The WSSRC is a Council of
sailing's governing body, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

The World Record will be acknowledged at the prize giving for leg seven of
the Volvo Ocean Race on May 23 in La Rochelle. After the record-breaking
run, illbruck went on to win leg seven of the Volvo Ocean Race from
Annapolis, MD, USA to La Rochelle on May 9 and is now a solid eight points
ahead of nearest rival, Assa Abloy .

The measurement for the record is made between two GPS positions over any
24-hour period. The 24-hour monohull world record was previously held by
Bernard Stamm on the Open 60 Armor Lux with 467.70 nautical miles. The
illbruck monohull world record also sets a new V.O. 60 class record,
previously held by Team SEB.

On arrival in La Rochelle after their record-breaking leg, skipper John
Kostecki was almost speechless, “It is awesome, and breaking it (the
record) by so much. Every one on our team did a great job. We prepared
the boat properly; we had no serious breakdowns during the 24 hours in our
record run. The boat was going fast and the crew was working the boat
hard and we made the right sail calls. We positioned ourselves properly
in the Gulf Stream and everything worked out perfectly for us. We had the
perfect weather and everything clicked.

“To be honest we weren’t thinking about it too much, and after 24 hours we
looked at the miles that we had accomplished and it was there, and we then
extended the record. It was a great moment for us and everybody is
excited about it. Everybody is really happy, a great record to break and
on top of it we broke it by more than a little bit.”

Leg eight of the Volvo Ocean Race will start from La Rochelle at 17h00
local time on May 25th. The fleet is expected to arrive in Gothenburg on
May 31st after completing this 1075 nautical mile stage.

Contact in La Rochelle / Media Centre:
Mark Howell, Media Director, tel: +44 7818 408 568
Lizzie Green, Race Press Officer tel: +44 7801 185 320