YACHTING - Jack's big adventure

JACK Lloyd knows his way around the planet. The Whangarei sailing legend's reputation as a world class yachting official keeps him in the jet set - and has done so for the last two decades.
But he has yet to sail around the globe, a fact that makes his latest appointment a little intriguing. Lloyd is now race director for the Volvo Ocean Race, a nine-month sailing sprint around the globe.
His appointment is yet another feather in the cap for the Onerahi Yacht Club, too.
Lloyd is a long time member there - as is the last man to skipper the winning yacht in an around the world yacht race, Mike Sanderson.
This time the race will take in ports in India, Singapore and China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia, for the first time in its history.
Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at about 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo is regarded as one of the premier yacht races for professional crews.
While it be one of the biggest undertakings in Lloyd's illustrious career as a yachting official, it won't see him sailing the world.
But it will mean he will be flying around it ... again.
Lloyd said he was looking forward to the new challenge, which will see him mixing with salty blue-water sailors and the well-heeled sponsors of the high profile event.
"I understand the need to marry sponsors demands with the requirement to stage a competitive and fair race for the competitors.
"I am very much looking forward to working with the teams around the world and am delighted that I have been chosen for this role."
Lloyd is a prominent figure in international yacht racing and was chairman of the International Jury for the 2005-06 race after serving as a member of the jury for two previous races.
Lloyd, who takes over from Andy Hindley, completes the race management line-up for the 2008-09 race following last month's appointment of Norwegian Knut Frostad as CEO, taking over from Australian Glenn Bourke. Frostad said Lloyd brought vast experience from professional race management as he as not only involved in the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race as an umpire, but has also been part of a number of professional sailing teams.
Lloyd has been an international umpire since 1993 and an international judge since 1996.
He is an ISAF International Umpire Test administrator and is chairman of the Test Administration Group.
Lloyd has completed two America's Cups as an umpire and jury member, and has been rules advisor to both OneWorld in 2002-03 and Emirates Team New Zealand in the 32nd America's Cup last year in Valencia.
Frostad said Lloyd's appointment was part of his goal to strengthen the race's position as the premier offshore event among the sailors.
Frostad said: "I truly believe that with Jack in charge of all our on-the-water activities we are on the right track.
"Our plans are far more advanced now than they have ever been at this period of the event in the past.
"With Jack on board, I feel that we have chosen the best person for the highly demanding job of race director."
Starting in Alicante in Spain with an in-port race on October 4, it will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon.