Yachting: Impressive backer for tireless Dalton

Grant Dalton's seventh circumnavigation of the globe will be backed by the original winner of the first round-the-world race 27 years ago.

The New Zealand skipper, still on his sixth round-the-world venture, has signed up with European boat-builder Nautor for the Volvo Ocean Race starting in September.

A Nautor-built Swan 65 won the first Whitbread race in 1974.

This time Dalton is part of a Finnish-Italian entry.

The campaign chairman is American Paul Cayard, winner of the previous round-the-world race in 1998.

There will be two boats, and their hulls are already half-completed at a yard on the French Mediterranean coast.







One has been designed by New Zealander Bruce Farr, whose designs have won every round-the-world race since 1985.

The other is from the desk of Argentinian designer German Frers, who worked with Prada in the previous America's Cup, and who is Swan's house designer.

Frers drew up the 1981 race winner, Flyer - which was the first round-the-world boat Dalton sailed on.

Dalton is expected to sail one of the two boats, with top Dutch sailor Bouwe Bekking.

Olympic gold medallist Enrico Chieffi and Fred Andersson, who was head of the successful EF campaign in 1998, are on the board of directors.

The Nautor challenge will fly the burgees of two yacht clubs - the Finnish NJK club and the Costa Smeralda, which launched the first Italian challenge for the America's Cup.

Herald Online Marine News