Kongsberg Gruppen's subsidiary Simrad is sponsoring the Norway-based sailing team djuice dragons that are going to be participating in the Volvo Ocean Race.
On 23 September, the Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World race) begins, with skipper Knut Frostad at the helm of the djuice dragons entry. And Simrad will be making the voyage with him. To be precise, Simrad is the official marine electronics supplier for the 60-foot vessel being sailed by the djuice dragons.
Participation in this project offers Simrad a unique opportunity to enhance the SIMRAD brand name. The collaboration emerged as a result of a desire on the part of Simrad to focus on sailing. The race is an opportunity to receive first-hand feedback on product performance from the professional djuice dragons team.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002 will cover no less than 32 000 nautical miles, a feat which will take professional sailors about ten months to accomplish. The voyage will be divided into nine legs and have ten ports of rest. Simrad will have exclusive distributors in each of the ports of rest. Planning is progressing at all ahead full. Organised in every port of call, events will include local dealers and major accounts.
The djuice dragons sailing team 
djuice dragons is the name of a sailing team that will be participating in the 10-month long Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002. Norwegian skipper Knut Frostad is an experienced sailor with two successful round-the-world voyages to his credit. He leads a team of sailors with both professional and personal qualifications. Being a good sailor is simply not enough for people who are going to be spending 10 months in the same boat - literally.
During the sailing team's spring training in Miami, the two test boats were docked just a few kilometres from SIMRAD's offices in Dania near Fort Lauderdale. From this location, Simrad supplied comprehensive electronics packages. The company has also provided expertise and helped the crew maximise the performance of CR40, a combined radar and DGPS chart plotter with dual station, one placed in the navigation area and one in the cockpit.
Simrad equipment on board each boat is:
RD 68 fixed VHF radio with DSC HT50 Hand held VHF CR40 Combined chartplotter and radar with DGPS DS40 dual station repeater for the CR40 The Rib`s both carry: RD68 68 fixed VHF radio with DSC Axis AX250 hand held VHF CE32 Combined Chartplotter Echosounder with GPS World-class products 
Simrad is one of the world's leading names in sophisticated instrumentation for yachts and fishing vessels. The SIMRAD brand name has also earned a reputation as a leading brand of marine electronics. Simrad develops, manufactures and sells systems for navigation, steering, communications and fish-finding for fishing vessels, the yacht market and the coastal fleet.
For more information about the company and its products, see Simrad's home page at www.simrad.com