Thirty-five year-old American sailor Morgan Larson has signed up as strategist/tactician for the Swedish Victory America’s Cup Challenge.

Although Larson is no stranger to the ACC world having raced with AmericaOne and OneWorld Challenge, this is the first time he’s chosen a non-American team. Chatting about his departure from the Americans Larson said: “I stayed with a sort of national sense. But my heritage is from Sweden, so I still feel I’m with a national team.”

As in his previous America’s Cup roles Larson where he was strategist with AmericaOne sailing with Paul Cayard and John Kostecki, and had the equivalent position with OneWorld Challenge, with Peter Gilmour and James Spithill in the afterguard, Larson takes up the position of strategist/tactician. Commenting Larson continued: “I have a unique experience from sailing with them and if I could take a little piece of each of them and bring that to Victory Challenge I think it could be quite helpful.”

Commenting on Victory’s recent recruit, Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman added: “We have made our previous strategist, Mattias Rahm, second helmsman. We are sailing with two boats, so we naturally have to strengthen the afterguard. Morgan Larson has a perfect background and I’m very pleased that he has decided to join us, bearing in mind how many he’s previously turned down.”

On his decision to join Victory Larson concluded: “I said no to quite a few ]teams], I was in the middle of my preparations for the 49er Class in the Peking Olympics. My partner is on a course in economics just now, so that joining Victory Challenge this late doesn’t disrupt my Olympic plans. The only thing that can disrupt them is if Victory Challenge reaches the America’s Cup Match.”

Larson has broad experience from a number of classes, where he has focussed on 49er during the last few years. He has three world championship bronzes in this class. His other achievements include three world championship golds and being a 20-time US national champion.