China Team, the exclusive Chinese challenger for the 34th edition of America’s Cup sailing yacht regatta to be held in San Francisco in the summer of 2013, is delighted to announce that the crew to race at the Naples AC World Series, taking place from April 7 to 15, 2012 is ready and have all come to the Serenity Marina in Sanya, the China Team base, to start training for the upcoming competition.

China Team Crew

Among the eight crew members, two skippers will be training on the recently acquired Ventilo M2 catamaran yachts for the exclusive position of China Team skipper in Sanya.

Fred Le Peutrec is a sailing veteran and one of the most experienced multihull skippers in the world. Fred has accumulated a number of world records, including the “Jules Verne Trophy” (previously called “The Race” around the world) three times (with Loick Peyron (2012), Franck Cammas (2010), Grant Dalton (2001)); he has been winner of the ORMA (trimaran) championships and has been in the top 3 on numerous occasions for World Championships and various multihull categories.

The second skipper is a China Team member already since 2011, Phil Robertson. At only 25 years old, Phil fronts WAKA Racing, a tight team of top young sailors, and has already won many major regattas. He is currently placed 8 th worldwide in the World Match Racing Tour, and is aiming for number 1. In addition to this, Phil has placed in the top 3 in over 20 races in the past 2 years as skipper.

Wang Chaoyong, chairman of China Team, says “We are fully committed to creating an environment for our sailors that will enable them to compete at the same level as their competitors. Training and practice is a key element of success and we will make sure that China Team sailors are ready for the upcoming races. With Sanya’s close-to-ideal sailing conditions all year round, and our new team base in the world-class Serenity Marina, the China Team crew will be able to practice in between all races, as well as support the training of the Chinese athletes”.

China Team’s international crew will be training in Sanya from March 14 to 29, 2012, and will be heading to Naples for the upcoming America’s Cup World Series, to compete against the 10 other teams which represent the challengers and the defender of the America’s Cup.