Start of IC45 Season for Admiral's Cup hopeful's

by Sue Warden-Owen on 27 Jan 2001 Seven boats representing four nations will compete today, Friday 26th
January, at the start of the IC 45 season with the first regatta in the
Clean Marine Winter Series 2001 in Palma de Mallorca.

Having claimed victory at the IC 45 (formerly Corel 45) Winter Series 2000,
Indulgence, renamed Barlo Plastics, will certainly be favourite to take the
honours at this year's event. Barlo Plastics IC 45, one of the three
British entries in the event sponsored by Clean Marine, a company
specialising in ecological boat cleaning products, will be led by top
British sailor Adrian Stead (33), whilst Olympic Silver Medallist Ian Walker
will helm.

Walker (30), Silver medallist in both the Star Class at the 2000 Sydney
Games and 470 Class at the 1996 Atlanta Games, will helm the Barlo Plastics
IC 45 in place of Ben Ainslie (23), the Sydney 2000 Laser Class Gold
medallist, whose recently announced involvement with the One World America's
Cup Challenge prevents him from attending this first Winter Series regatta
in Palma.

Fellow Team GB Silver medallist, Ian Barker, will call tactics aboard David
McLean's IC45 Babbalaas with Ian Budgen on helm, whilst Barlo Plastics can
also expect to meet fierce competition from Nicolas Charbonnier (four times
420 world champion) on Faster K-Yote 2 and Whitbread veteran Gunaar Krantz
and his Volvo Ocean Race team.

Racing is set to commence today at 14:00 and complete race results will be
available on www.ic45od.org