Sir Ben Ainslie has paid tribute to Volvo Ocean Race winners Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and revealed that Ian Walker has had a huge impact on his career.
– VOR: Putting sailing on the UAE map a greater triumph for Ian Walker
– VOR: Walker hails fellow crew members after ADOR’s victory
– 2014/2015 Volvo Ocean Race: A race we’ll never forget
Ainslie and Walker have a lot in common. For starters, they are two of Britain’s most successful sailors. Both have won multiple medals for Great Britain at Olympic Games. Ainslie has five, four of them gold, while Walker has two, both silver.
Both were team-mates for Team GB at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and four years later at Sydney 2000. Walker was adding to his haul of accolades in Sweden last weekend.
The 45-year-old has been at the helm of ADOR as they trawled through the most dangerous environments on the planet over the last nine months to win the VOR, becoming the first British skipper to win the race in its 41-year history.
Ainslie was also picking up another accolade in Gothenburg, accepting the prestigious Magnus Olsson Award, bestowed upon the sailor who has made the biggest contribution to the sport in the past year.
Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor in history but he paid tribute to his compatriot for shaping his path to glory.
“It was absolutely fantastic to see Ian Walker leading Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing to winning this race,” said Ainslie, 38.
“I’ve known Ian my entire career. As I started out in Olympic sailing, he was really an inspiration for me, being that bit more advanced in the Olympic programme.
“To witness his determination in his third Volvo Ocean Race to come through and win it with a really solid group of guys was great to see. Hats off to them for a fantastic achievement.”
Ainslie also tweeted his congratulations to Walker and co earlier this month when they finished third on leg eight of the VOR, from Lisbon to Lorient, which handed ADOR victory.
“Huge congrats to @ADORlog and Ian Walker on winning the #VolvoOceanRace,” said Ainslie, paying tribute to his friend.
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ainslie followed Brazilian Torben Grael, the winning skipper of the 2008/09 VOR, as recipient of the prize. After his superb effort in 2014/15, perhaps Walker will be in line for next year’s award.
Skipper Ian Walker and @ADORlog crew as they lifted their trophy, what a moment! @ADORSkipper #VOR pic.twitter.com/9moLXqU3sy
— Volvo Ocean Race (@volvooceanrace) June 22, 2015
Walker and his men returned to home shores on Monday as the ADOR crew arrived in Abu Dhabi to present the VOR trophy to His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan.
Big things were expected of the Emirati-backed team, and they delivered in fine style, smashing records along the way.
They hauled in a record-breaking amount of trophies, bagging the IWC Schaffhausen 24-hour Speed Record Challenge and the Roaring Forties Trophy for the shortest elapsed time sailed between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, in addition to winning the overall race and in-port series trophies.
On-board reporter Matt Knighton also collected the award for the best OBR at an awards dinner in Gothenburg on Saturday.
“We made a really good plan, and we carried out that plan,” said Walker. “We were confident going into the race, the boat was in great shape, and we arrived in Alicante probably better prepared and better trained than most teams.”
Walker said the record-breaking trophy haul was a testimony to the dedication and professionalism that “runs the length and breadth of the entire ADOR squad”.
He said: “It’s the perfect way to round off what has been a fabulous around-the-world adventure. I can’t say enough about how superbly every single member of our squad – on and off the yacht – has performed and they should all be very proud of what we have achieved.”
Sultan al Dhaheri, acting executive director of TCA Abu Dhabi, who travelled to Gothenburg to watch the conclusion of the VOR and was on-board Azzam for the in-port race, was delighted with the result.
“The team has proudly represented our country as we competed against the best sailors in the world, and we have strengthened our position as a sailing nation in front of a global audience,” said Al Dhaheri.
“I hope all the ADOR fans here, back in Abu Dhabi, as an official destination partner, and around the world join me in congratulating all the members of our victorious team.”
