“The Black Pearl” christened in Southampton

The Volvo Ocean 70 “The Black Pearl” christened in Southampton together with her crew © Gael Pawson

The Black Pearl, official entry in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race, the world’s premier round the world race for monohull sailboats, was christened today at Maritime Walk, Ocean Village in Southampton, England. The event was hosted by Robert Mitchell, Managing Director, Buena Vista International UK, and Skipper of The Black Pearl, Paul Cayard.

The Black Pearl entry is part of a unique marketing partnership between The Walt Disney Company and Volvo Ocean Race supporting the July 2006 feature film release of Walt Disney Pictures’/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

“This is an exciting moment as we embark upon uniting the exhilaration of a world class sporting event with what will certainly be one of the most anticipated films of next year, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” commented Mitchell. “There will be plenty of high seas adventures both on screen and off for the next ten months.”

The Black Pearl is a Volvo 70 class yacht and one of seven entries in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, which begins in Vigo, Spain in November of this year and ends in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2006.

Skippering The Black Pearl is renowned sailor, Paul Cayard, the first American skipper to win the race in 1998. He has returned with the energy, determination and sheer passion of the sport to lead his highly experienced and competitive Pirates of the Caribbean team around the globe with stops in 10 of the world’s most exotic locales.

Said Mitchell, “We are thrilled that Paul Cayard will be our very own modern day ‘Captain Jack’ taking to the high seas to command his team on The Black Pearl in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race. Paul is a legendary figure in the world of sailboat racing, and we will be cheering him on port after port as he leads his Pirates of the Caribbean crew around the globe.”

According to Cayard, “I am honoured to skipper The Black Pearl, a boat inspired by a worldwide phenomenon, in the premier round the world sailing race. This time around, the race will be much more demanding physically than in the past due to the larger scale of the boats and fewer crew than in the past. The excitement, however, will be unparalleled thanks to the other six very competitive entries. The 2005-06 race will offer the public much more exciting access to the sport with the newly added feature of in-port racing where spectators can really see us in action. All of this is certain to make for great sport and great entertainment.”

The 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race commences November 5, 2005 in Vigo, Spain. The race then travels to Cape Town, South Africa; Melbourne, Australia; a pit stop in Wellington, New Zealand; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Baltimore/Annapolis, Maryland; a pit stop in New York City; Portsmouth, England; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and and finishes in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2006.