Less than two months before the start of the Round-the-World regatta, the US team's new 70-foot yacht was christened in Southampton. The design of the racer was particularly striking: large pirate head logos adorn the sail and hull, because the film production company Disney sponsors the yacht and advertises part 2 of the film “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Dead Man’s Chest” with Johny Depp.
Lady GabriellWindsor christened the ship with the flowery name “Black Pearl” after Paul Cayard had introduced his crew. A top-class team from seven nations will be on board: four of the "pirates" have already been in the winning crews of the Volvo Ocean Race. The “Black Pearl” is the last ship to be launched in the brand new construction class of the Volvo 70s, which replaces the old 60-footer. With swivel keels, carbon fiber instead of Kevlar, and many new features, they mark the state of the art in offshore racing
Cayard's team has the ambition to catch up on the lead of the other syndicates, some of whom have been training for months and have already rebuilt the yachts.
Skipper and sponsor alike hope that the equipment of the Volvo Racer as a pirate ship will benefit both sides. The "Black Pearl" is not only used as an advertisement for the pirate film. Paul Cayard, for his part, is convinced: "The campaign is an extraordinary opportunity to introduce those who have never had anything to do with sailing to the sport and the Volvo Ocean Race." The hunt around the globe will start on November 5, 2005 in Vigo / Spain.