Country: Netherlands
Skipper: Sebastian Josse
Navigator: Simon Fisher
Designer: Juan Kouyoumdjian
Builder: Killian Bushe
Launch Date: August 2005

Sebastian Josse (below) signed the deal to skipper ABN AMRO TWO while he was still racing in the 2004/05 Vendée Globe where he finished 5th. Josse, at 30, is the oldest member of the 'youth team' crew that boasts seven nationalities.

The team inherited the second ABN boat, designed by Argentinean Jan Kouyoumdjian and while their machine was being finished the raced a Volvo 60 in the Route de l'Equateur from France to Africa which they won. Finally ABN TWO was launched in August and the crew began training alongside ABN ONE at the team's training base in Portugal.

While the crew of ABN TWO have benefited from experiences developed from the first boat, there is no doubt that the team is a cosmopolitan support act to the 'principal driver' - the ABN ONE team. However, skipper, Sebastian Josse has many years of experience in Open style boats that will help him finesse the use of the swing keel and forward daggerboard configuration of the Volvo 70; Josse was also a member of Bruno Peyron's Orange I Jules Verne Trophy-winning crew, a tribute to his pedigree.

If Jan Kouyoumdjian's design concepts are on the pace then ABN TWO could benefit from the experience of the two-boat programme they are part of. However, it is hard to see how they could upstage their teammates on ABN ONE and while Sebastian Josse is an up-and-coming French sailor, his leadership skills have yet to be tested. And he is commanding a crew that is at the bottom end of the ocean grand prix learning curve.