After Irish sailor and owner of the successful Farr 50 Chieftan, Ger O’Rourke, announced his entry for the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts from Alicante on October 11, in May, very soon it looked as though it was a non-starter as hoped for sponsorship did not materialise.

O’Rourke had purchased the last race winner ABN AMRO 1 and started her refit. Now, with just a month until the start, he has announced that he has got backing from Delta Lloyd, a Dutch financial services provider. He has still to complete the required 2,000 mile qualifier but plans to undertake this next week en route to Alicante.