The promotion of Hamble yachtsman Neal McDonald to skipper of Swedish entry Assa Abloy has brought the number of Volvo Ocean Race skippers from the Solent region to a three.
Although the UK failed to submit an entry for the first time in the history of the race, almost half of all the skippers in the 2001-2002 race are now from Britain.
Neal's wife Lisa heads up the joint Finnish/Italian entry Amer Sports Too while Jez Fanstone, who sailed with McDonald on Lawrie Smith's Silk Cut in 1997-98, is skipper of Australia's Team NewsCorp.
McDonald was appointed for the Cape Town to Sydney leg after previous skipper Roy Heiner was sacked, following a disastrous first leg where he was sidelined by perpetual seasickness.
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