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CARABELLI oversaw the entire construction of the Brasil 1. One of the most renowned boat designers in the country, he lived in Indaiatuba for the first six months of the project to oversee the work on the 70 foot sailboat. He also took part in most of the crew's training sessions in Rio de Janeiro and in Cascais, Portugal.

Born in Uruguay but now a Brazilian citizen, CARABELLI started sailing when he was eight years old, in the Optimist class. In the Snipe Class, he won two Junior World titles in 1984 and 1986 and a third place in the 1987 Senior World Championship. CARABELLI and André FONSECA, trimmer and helmsman on the Brasil 1, are the only two-time World Champions in this class. CARABELLI also sailed for Uruguay in the Soling in the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.

'Our choice of Horacion was a safe one. He is an excellent sailor and nobody knows the Brasil 1 better than he does. We will lose the electronics knowledge as Martin was fully responsible for this part but we will make a completely independent [electronics] system,' explained Alan ADLER (BRA), director of the project and 1990 Star World Champion, who is training with the team in Spain.

The change was made for medical reasons. CARTER discovered during a routine check up that he is a diabetic. The medical exam took place in Sanxenxo, the city where the first in port race of the round the world race will take place on 5 November.

'It's too bad we can't count on Martin during the first leg, as he would have been able to fix any problems on the boat. But Horacio is a perfect 'homegrown' solution, who will contribute greatly,' said ADLER.

The Brasil 1 is sponsored by VIVO, Motorola, QUALCOMM, ThyssenKrupp, NIVEA Sun, Ágora Senior Corretora de Valores, the Brazilian Government through Apex (The Agency for the Promotion of Brazilian Exports), the Ministry of Industry, Development and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Minister of Sports, with special support from Varig Airlines.

The Volvo Ocean Race will take eight months to complete and competitors will sail 31,250 nautical miles, over 57,000 kilometres. The race will kick off on 5 November with an in port race in Sanxenxo, Spain. The first leg will start from Vigo, also in Spain, on 12 November.

For a complete list of all the news about the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 CLICK HERE.