Ian Walker, skipper of the Green Team, has officially announced the majority of the Green Team’s squad for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. The team along with 15 shore crew are already hard at work at Endeavour Quay, Gosport preparing their new Volvo Open 70 for sea trials. The next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be double Olympic medallist Ian Walker’s first ever round the world race, so he has ensured he has some of most experienced ocean racers amongst the crew.

The sailing squad members announced are: Ian Moore (IRL) Navigator; Damian Foxall (IRL) Watch Leader; Justin Slattery (IRL) Bowman; Tom Braidwood (AUS) Trimmer/Driver; Andrew McLean (NZL) Bowman; Phil Harmer (AUS) Trimmer/driver; Scott Millar (IRL) Trimmer; Freddie Shanks (GBR) Bowman. Amongst the crew, four of the team have competed in the Volvo Ocean Race previously, with Foxall (ERICSSON), Slattery (ABN AMRO ONE), and Braidwood (ERICSSON) all racing in the last edition.

Watch Leader Damian Foxall is the team-member with the most Ocean miles under his belt – 310,000nm to date. He was the winner of the inaugural Barcelona World Race earlier this year with Jean-Pierre Dick aboard Paprec Virbac and has competed in 7 Round the World Races and completed 18 Trans-Atlantics crossings.

Overseeing sailing matters for the Green Team is TP52 owner Eamon Conneely: “We are very fortunate to have secured the calibre of people that we have. We will be adding two more squad members including the second watch leader in due course but I am pleased with the current mixture of youth (4 under 30s) and Volvo 70 experience. In Damian and Justin we have proven offshore winners and the team will be turning to them for a lot of advice in our preparation as well as during the race.”

Walker is pleased to be working with Ian Moore. The pair have sailed together on and off for the last 10 years. As Ian Walker explained “Ian and I first sailed together as tactician and navigator on the IMS 50 Breeze in 1997. Last year we sailed together on Eamon’s TP52 Patches and I have huge faith in his ability.” Moore was navigator at Team New Zealand for the last America’s Cup and was named as navigator for Britain’s America’s Cup challenger Team Origin in 2007.