Winning Volvo Ocean Race skipper Mike ‘Moose’ Sanderson has announced that he is to have a new Open 60 built by Cooksons in Auckland, New Zealand. Like his race winning VO70, the new boat, which will be sponsored by print and web company Pindar, will be designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and have the same builder. Pindar recently sold their previous Open 60, which started life as Hexagon in the last Around Alone, to Artemis and it is being campaigned by Brian Thompson.

There is some speculation that Thompson, who sailed with Sanderson on one leg of the VOR, might have a second boat by Kouyoumdjian and built by Cooksons so the pair can do some serious two boat testing, the process that partly contributed to ABN AMRO’s runaway win.

As yet Sanderson will not confirm whether he will sail the next Vendee Globe although he has a busy race schedule lined up, including the Jacques Vabre, Transat, Round Britain and Route de Rhum.