A 25-tonne crane was bought into McConaghy's yard in lift the boat, but it did not have enough reach, so a larger 95-tonne crane was bought in to lift her onto the lorry. Unfortunately the lorry driver then decided he did not want to be in charge of such a big load in case he attracted unwelcome attention from the police. He was eventually persuaded otherwise and the Green Team's Volvo Open 70 started her first journey.
Getting past the low-level telephone wires at the yard entrance the was the most eventful, but the remainder of the journey to Doumen Port, dodging minibuses and motorcycles, was uneventful. The Green Machine was then moved across the Pearl River delta to the Kwai Chung Container Terminal in Hong Kong before being loaded onto a ship bound for Southampton, UK.
Ian Walker Green Team Skipper said, ³Making the decision to build a Volvo Volvo Open 70 late in the day meant it was crucial we had the right design and build team in place. It¹s amazing to think that in seven months they have managed to meet the timeline and get her shipped back to the UK. We now can¹t wait to fit the keel and mast and get her out on the water to start preparing for the world¹s greatest sailing race².
The 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Spanning some 39,000 nautical miles, stopping at around 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
