Two out of three Volvo RYA Keelboat Team Members have progressed through to the final trials for the eight places onboard the TEAM ABN AMRO Youth Boat that will race in the 2005/6 Volvo Ocean Race.

Simon Shaw and Jeremy Elliot both successfully made it through to the final five at the International team trials last week. They now join 15 other young sailors who have already been selected from ABN AMRO’s home markets of Brazil, the Netherlands and the US, in the final selection trials which got underway yesterday in Portugal. Unfortunately, Volvo RYA keelboat team member Paul Campbell-James fell at the final hurdle and wasn’t selected.

The 20 sailors, all aged between 21-30 will be cut to 12 in week one, with the final eight team members, made up of two sailors from each category, announced by sailing director Roy Heiner on 25 March 2005. They will be joined by four additional core ABN AMRO team members for the Volvo Ocean Race, which begins in November in Vigo, Spain.

Elliot commented: “I am really glad that I made it through the first selection week and I feel that I sailed pretty well. I think the next stage will be a lot of fun but also pretty high stress and I just hope that my name is called out at the end of it.”

RYA Racing Services Manager David Atkinson added: “I am pleased and delighted that three members of the Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme have managed to compete in the TEAM ABN AMRO trials as it recognises that Great Britain has a number of world class young sailors capable of competing in this event and demonstrates the commitment and skills they have to offer. The fact that two of the five sailors chosen to go to the final stages of the selections in Portugal have come from the Programme, clearly shows that it has been successful in attracting top class sailors.”

One of the primary objectives of the Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme, since its induction in 2003, has been to provide respected and credited training to the sailors in the squad with the hope that some of them will go on to compete in some of the worlds prestigious keelboat events. The fact that these sailors have made it this far through the selection process is credit to their hard work and dedication as well as testimony to the Programme’s success.