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Emirates Team New Zealand becomes the first to reach the major milestone of getting their Volvo Open 70 – CAMPER – into the water. With skipper Chris Nicholson, CAMPER took its very first sail in the Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand.

“In the past week we have seen CAMPER come out of the safety of the cocoon Cookson Boats where she has been for the past nine months,” declared Estanislao Carpio, COO Camper. “Today she has taken her first steps and over the next few months, we will see the sailing programme develop as we lead up to the start of the race in November in Alicante.”

Today was also the first opportunity for CAMPER to reveal its striking graphics, designed by renowned Creative Director Mark Farrow, from the British studio Farrow. The newly designed Volvo Open 70 is a massive project and departure for the designer’s studio.

“To be given a canvas of a hundred foot tall masts and a seventy-foot carbon- fibre boat is very, very special!” stated Farrow. “In Camper we have found a creative kindred spirit who has been totally receptive to our ideas and who has pushed us creatively more than most clients, which is refreshing to say the least.”

Part of the inspiration for the design is taken from ‘dazzle painting’, a paint scheme extensively used on battle ships during World War One. Drawing inspiration from abstract artists, dazzle ships were composed of a complex pattern of geometric shapes, interrupting and intersecting each other and with each sail combination, a different pattern emerges.

“Hopefully as the boat is sailing around the world you’ll see all these different versions. It will be forever changing and shifting,” Farrow concluded.

For Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand and his team, this first sail marks the start of an intense period up to the start of the race. “As a team we have always strived to be different and to set ourselves apart from other teams. Today we have demonstrated this visually, we are making a bold statement and we anticipate being able to do the same on the water.”

CAMPER will spend the next week sail testing before starting a ten-day New Zealand Tour on 25 April, visiting five east coast New Zealand ports before starting their 2000-mile Qualifying Sail in early May.

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