Country: Spain
Skipper: Bouwe Bekking
Navigator: Andrew Cape
Designer: Bruce Farr
Builder: Boat Speed
Launch Date: February 2005

Almost by default, skipper Bouwe Bekking (below) finds himself and the Movistar team installed as favourites for the Volvo Ocean Race by virtue of the fact that they have amassed the largest number of ocean sailing miles.

Movistar was built in Australia and Bekking and the crew sailed the boat through the Southern Pacific Ocean, around Cape Horn and north to Europe breaking the outright monohull speed record along the way. It was an exercise that stood Ellen MacArthur in good stead twice: before she finished second in the 2000/01 Vendée Globe and again before she successfully beat the non-stop single-handed round the world record.

If that was a good call, another interesting move was to bring Athens 49er Olympic Gold medallist Iker Fernandez into the crew alongside Aussie skiff and 49er helmsman Chris Nicholson to bring some skiff sailing techniques to the wheels. Meanwhile, below in the nav station is Andrew Cape, fresh out of coaching Ernesto Bertarelli in the finer points of navigation during his successful 2003 America's Cup campaign.

As a watch leader and project manager for Grant Dalton in the 2001/02 Volvo Ocean Race, skipper Bekking has the ocean experience as well as the inshore grand prix track record to begin this race with his head held high. But a win here would certainly mark the high point of his career in a project he has been able to shape from the outset with plenty of both time and money.