[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Built by North Sails at their Nevada factory and finalised in Vannes, France, the Volvo Ocean 65 sails will benefit from the experience and technology of the world’s leading sailmaker. North Sails works with a very advanced 3Di technology – a 3D moulding technic giving the sails a flying shape.

In 2014-15, each one-design Volvo Ocean 65 will race around the world with just 12 sails, a major reduction in the inventory from previous races and another significant cost saving introduced as part of the project.

Just eight race sails are allowed on board, with no (non-repair) recuts and only four replacement sails.
With the exception of the A3 and the storm jib, all sails will be built to varying deniers using North Sails’ 3Di process, using pre-impregnated tapes made of black Twaron Aramid and clear Dyneema SK75 fibres.

No carbon is allowed in the sail material as it blocks the signals to and from the satellites essential for communication and data transfer.

Production and delivery will be carefully controlled and a Pre-Race set of sails will be built and made available as the boats come off the production line every seven weeks.

North Sails will provide all the sails the VO65 fleet will be using in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race

Race sails will also be built in batches so that the same mould is used for the production of eight sails of one type. Each sail type will then be finished in the same loft by the same team in one go to ensure an identical shape and production quality.

Jeff Neri, General Manager at North Sails: “It is really hard for us to bench-test something then scale it up to going around the world. We can spend time trying to model what the sails will go through but there is no modeling when it comes to the Volvo Ocean Race.”

“Our main objective is to make a really durable sail that holds its shape and stays together for as long as the race needs it to stay together. Secondly is making sure that all the sails are exactly the same – we have to make sure that the sails weigh the same, perform the same and last the same.”

Jack Lloyd, Race Director: “We are very pleased with our agreement with North Sails and we are confident we have a good solution for our One Design sail package. We realised early that it would be too complex to keep the One Design sail project as part of the One Design boat project. So we removed it and dealt with it as a separate product. With North Sails, I believe we have a true One Design sail solution.”

Sail Inventory:

Mainsail: fully-battened, three reefs
J1: good for 8-15 knots upwind, has hanks and battens
J2: good for 13-25 knots, on a furler with vertical leech battens
J3: good for 22-35 knots, also on a furler with vertical leech battens
Fractional Code 0 spinnaker (affectionately dubbed the ‘fro’): used in a broad range of angles, sheets to the outrigger
Masthead Code 0: used in 0-6 knots upwind, or downwind in more breeze
Masthead A3 gennaker: the only dedicated downwind sail, typically used at true wind angles of 120° and above
J4: good for 35 knots+ as a storm jib, and also as a staysail

An additional four sails to choose from the above can be used during the race.

An outrigger will extend 1.5m outside the hull either midships for the jibs or aft near the stern for the MH0, FR0 and A3.

Mea Culpa. I have to admit that I precipitated into declaring Alinghi’s entry in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race a done deal. However, our very reliable and authoritative Swiss sources at the beginning of the year were overly enthusiastic over the prospect of a Swiss team, backed by Ernesto Bertarelli, dominating offshore sailing. That’s where the alleged announcement date came. Everything was supposed to go as planned, the official entry was a matter of days or weeks and a press conference was to be held in Geneva on the day of Alinghi’s 10th anniversary since winning the America’s Cup in Auckland.

An important factor we learned last week shed some more light on what the true situation might be. A few months back, we were told Brad Butterworth would be in charge of the team and that Bertarelli would provide the funding. That seemed to be the ideal scenario. Butterworth would be able to snatch the best sailors, early enough before someone else tempts them as with the new one-design VO65 yacht, experienced sailors will now come at a premium and will be able to command hefty salaries, twice or even three times as high as last time.

However, it seems that things weren’t as rosy according to other sources. It appears that Bertarelli didn’t want to fully fund the team but just provide a strong initial backing that would then definitely have to be complemented with additional corporate sponsorship. Under that alleged deal, Bertarelli was willing to provide half of the target budget, rumored to be set at 30 million euros. So, the Swiss billionaire would give Butterworth 15 million euros but the kiwi skipper would have to find the rest.

The Volvo Ocean Race, unlike the America’s Cup, doesn’t hold such an irresistible appeal to rich sailors, basically for a very simple reason. They can’t be onboard. Their idea of sailing doesn’t include spending three weeks cramped with ten more sailors inside an uncomfortable, cold and wet yacht that is hammered by the winds and waves of the southern oceans. There is nothing wrong with that and it’s understandable that if they decide to give some of their fortune, at least they have to have some fun.

Apparently, Bertarelli’s intention wasn’t to make any money out of that but since he wasn’t going to be onboard, he also didn’t want to lose either. Will now Butterworth be able to find the other 15 million euros? Time will tell.

We might not see such a boat after all…

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The first One Design boat for the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race will hit the water in July. Hull and deck number one have now been assembled at Green Marine in Hythe, in the south of England, and the fit-out is going ahead. Here are interviews with two of the key players: Class Project Manager James Dadd and Green Marine Construction Project Manager Connell Daino.

Class Project Manager James Dadd

“The first Volvo Ocean 65 is well under way. All internal structure has been completed. The deck is now fitted and laminated into place. All the secondary bonding has been done. Once or twice a week, the build box is heated at 65 degrees to cook the secondary bonding pre-impregnated carbon. We wanted to make sure we had very good control over the resin content in everything, so we decided to use pre-preg instead of wet lay-up.

“Deck two has arrived at Green Marine too and is ready to go. Hull two is due to be leaving Persico in Italy in the next days. It’s already out of the mould and it has most of its internal structure into it. Hull three is now being laminated. Deck three is already out of the mould at Multiplast, France.

“The first rigs are being shipped from Southern Spars in New Zealand as we speak. The first keel will arrive soon from Iron Brothers, a company down the English west coast. The daggerboards for the first Volvo Ocean 65 will arrive with the second hull and rudders are being built here at Green Marine. Killian Bush from Team SCA has visited the deck and hull already. My approach with the teams is to allowing them to observe, not interfere.

“The level of accuracy and repeatability of this process is extremely high due to the processes that have been put in place during the build, using numerically machined custom tools both to build the parts and to fit them together. Account is taken for the amount different materials expand and contract throughout the curing process so that critical components are built and installed in exactly the same place on every boat to within one quarter of a millimeter.

“As more boats are assembled we will constantly monitor the accuracy and repeatability, but anything more than one mm difference in any area is going to be investigated. Every gramme of material added is monitored and we are going to have an extremely accurate understanding of exactly where any differences in weight are, however small that may be so that we can correct this and equalise the fleet before racing starts.”

Construction of the first ever VO65 is advancing as planned. Hythe, 19 April 2013. Photo copyright Volvo Ocean Race

Green Marine Construction Project Manager Connell Daino

“The project itself is a very big challenge. To put all these components together in such a short timeframe is a big challenge. The guys are working very well together. I’m very proud the way they raise to the challenge.

“We have two main types of technicians working alongside each other: the boatbuilders and the laminators. I sequence the Volvo Ocean 65 and manage the space carefully so that they can all do their jobs. At the moment we’ve got 18 guys working on boat number one, plus the components oven and engineer for the next boats. We already have three engine boxes, six bulkheads… There is a mountain of parts ready for the boats when they arrive!

“The biggest and most important fact on this project is that all the boats are the same. One Design is the essence of the whole project; ignoring it would be failure. There is a lot checking, double and triple checking. We have to develop our experience and our processes and prepare the jigs on this first boat. There are so many drivers of what has to be correct and perfect. It’s definitely a challenge and we found that out with the deck-fit. Putting together and aligning two big components such as a hull and a deck was a very critical moment. James Dadd was involved making sure we got it right.

“I’m very lucky to have so much support from Simon Smith and the rest of the organisation at Green Marine to help me concentrate on the boat. I get the best part of the job, which is to fill the building team with the design instructions. There is a very good spirit in the team. When it’s tough, we pull together; when it’s good, there is a lot of laughter.”

Construction of the first ever VO65 is advancing as planned. Hythe, 19 April 2013. Photo copyright Volvo Ocean Race

Construction of the first ever VO65 is advancing as planned. Hythe, 19 April 2013. Photo copyright Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: SCA] Magnus suffered a stroke during the week and, despite initial positive signs, deteriorated over the following days.

“Mange was the greatest person I have ever met, one of my very best friends, and one of the greatest sailors ever. He was a unique man who brought energy, humor and love to everyone around him. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time. He meant a lot to so many people and currently he was a fundamental part of Team SCA. The team will continue the great work that he started, training and working in the way that he would have expected. He will be sorely missed by us all. It is a true privilege to have been a friend of Mange, and I will proudly carry his legacy with me forever,” said Richard Brisius, Managing Director of Team SCA, SCA’s participation in the Volvo Ocean Race.

“Magnus was a great sportsman who, throughout his impressive offshore racing career, brought his passionate spirit and enthusiasm to the sport. He has inspired our female crew, many other sailors, both young and old, and all of us who had the opportunity of meeting and knowing him. Magnus will be deeply missed around the world. Our thoughts now go to his family and all who were touched by his energy and passionate spirit,” said Jan Johansson, President and CEO of SCA.

Volvo Ocean Race unveils 2014-15 route

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The French city of Lorient will return as the penultimate stopover in the Volvo Ocean Race for the 12th edition in 2014-15, completing a route that will test the world’s best professional sailors to the limit in a race around the world lasting almost nine months and 40,000 nautical miles.

The Race will start on October 4 2014, day of the first In-Port Race in Alicante, and finish with a final In-Port Race on June 27, 2015 in Gothenburg, the Swedish home of Volvo. The total course distance will be 39,895 nautical miles – the equivalent to 45,910 miles or 73,886 kilometres – and will see the sailors tackle an extra Southern Ocean leg between Recife in Brazil and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in their brand new Volvo Ocean 65 boats.

Race CEO Knut Frostad said: “We have a route which we are sure will appeal to every serious offshore sailor, full of super-fast, challenging conditions. The Southern Ocean leg from Recife to Abu Dhabi is the most diverse ever presented in the Race and will contribute to what could turn out to be the toughest Race in our 40-year history.”

Lorient will be the penultimate Host Port along the route and will come immediately after Lisbon, as it did in the last edition, and before the grand finale, which this time will be in Gothenburg.

The full route will see the teams sail their newly constructed boats from the Race’s home in Alicante, Spain to Recife on the north east tip of Brazil over 3,421 nm. From there, the teams will sail the longest leg of the race, making their first dive into the Southern Ocean on their way to Abu Dhabi (9,707 nautical miles) before heading to Sanya in China (4,670 nm).

As in the last race, the boats will sail from Sanya to Auckland, New Zealand (5,264 nm). From the City of Sails they will leave for Itajaí in Brazil (6,776 nm) before going north to Newport, Rhode Island in the United States (5,010 nm). The teams will then cross the Atlantic to Lisbon (2,800 nm) and stop in Lorient (647 nm) before the sprint to the finish around the British Isles to Gothenburg (1,600 nm).

Lorient, the Breton city on the west coast of France, hosted the Race for the first time in 2011-12 and provided an incredible spectacle for fans. French team Groupama sailed into Lorient as winners of the penultimate leg from Lisbon and had another emotional success in the In-Port Race. The team skippered by Franck Cammas went on to seal their debut victory in the Volvo Ocean Race at the finish line in Galway.

“Lorient is France’s sailing capital and the response we had during the last Race was phenomenal,” said Race CEO Frostad. “It will be a real pleasure to come back to this stunning part of the world, where the people are so knowledgeable about the sport and the whole set-up suits the Race so perfectly. Lorient will be a real highlight on the route.”

Frostad described the route as “an immense challenge” for sailors.

“The leg from Recife to Abu Dhabi will be one of the most interesting, diverse and difficult ever sailed in this Race,” Frostad said. “There then follows an incredibly challenging section of the race on the way around Cape Horn before a long overdue visit to Newport and a trip back across the Atlantic to a fantastic three-stop European finish. From brand new ports like Recife to now familiar stops such as Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Itajaí, Lisbon and Lorient, and classic sailing cities such as Auckland and Newport, this route gives just about the perfect mix of old and new. Add to that the start in Alicante and a mid-summer finish in Gothenburg, my only regret is that I’m not sailing the route myself.”

2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race details in full:

Alicante:
In-Port Race: October 4, 2014
Leg Start: October 11, 2014
Leg Distance to Recife: 3,421 nm

Recife:
In-Port Race: November 8, 2014
Leg Start: November 9, 2014
Leg Distance to Abu Dhabi: 9,707 nm

Abu Dhabi:
In-Port Race: January 2, 2015
Leg Start: January 3, 2015
Leg Distance to Sanya: 4,670 nm

Sanya:
In-Port Race: February 7, 2015
Leg Start: February 8, 2015
Leg Distance to Auckland: 5,264 nm

Auckland:
In-Port Race: March 14, 2015
Leg Start: March 15, 2015
Leg Distance to Itajaí: 6,776 nm

Itajaí:
In-Port Race: April 18, 2015
Leg Start: April 19, 2015
Leg Distance to Newport: 5,010 nm

Newport:
In-Port Race: May 16, 2015
Leg Start: May 17, 2015
Leg Distance to Lisbon: 2,800 nm

Lisbon:
In-Port Race: June 6, 2015
Leg Start: June 7, 2015
Leg Distance to Lorient: 647 nm

Lorient:
In-Port Race: to be decided
Leg Start: to be decided
Leg Distance to Gothenburg: 1,600 nm

Gothenburg:
In-Port Race: June 27, 2015
Total Race Distance: 39,895 nautical miles

Quite often in this website we have been fairly critical of the Volvo Ocean Race organization but after reading their press release on the impressive response to their advertisement for onboard reporters, we definitely have to congratulate them or at least recognize their excellent marketing skills.

According to the press release sent a few days ago, the Volvo Ocean Race organization received in their headquarters in Alicante more than 1,500 applications from all over the world, coming from people from all walks of life. The number by itself is already impressive and it becomes even more so if one considers the number of available positions. Realistically, the numbers of entries is this edition of the round-the-world race will not exceed eight and even if, for a moment, we admit that even if the remotest currently potential team materializes there will be no more than ten boats on the starting line off Alicante. This translates into roughly 150-200 applicants for each, possibly, available spot.

While most of the applicants were from Spain, further interest has come from other countries already confirmed on the route for 2014-15, including the United States, Sweden, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, New Zealand and China. This was to be expected and didn’t come as a surprise.

It isn’t a surprise either to have strong interest from the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, France or the United Kingdom. All these countries have a strong sailing tradition and have been closely connected with the race in the past. What I do find unexpected though is the interest from countries such as Greece, Venezuela, Turkey, Poland or the Czech Republic. They aren’t considered to be sailing powers and they hardly have any connection at all with the race.

In terms of professional experience, applicants include those with backgrounds as camera operators, directors, reporters, sports and news journalists.

These figures are truly staggering and I never thought there would be such strong interest for what is undoubtedly one of the toughest reporting jobs in sports. It goes without saying that a significant percentage of these applicants doesn’t stand the slightest chance of landing an onboard reporter job and most probably are fully aware of that but still decided to take a shot at it. I honestly don’t think that at this level of the sport any team or the organization will take the enormous risk of picking someone that could be a brilliant TV director but lacks the fundamental skills or knowledge of the sport.

Even if the final choice is among seasoned sailing journalists, the sheer interest and buzz this initiative created way beyond this narrow circle is remarkable. It is the first time ever that such a selection process is open to anyone in the media business and this is a very welcome novelty. This also shows the undeniable appeal of the race outside the sailing world and this competition can only expand it. I don’t know if it was Knut Forstad’s idea but it certainly was an excellent one!

[Source: Team SCA] Team SCA, the only all-female team in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race has confirmed the first five crew to officially join the team.

Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Sophie Cizcek (AUS), Sam Davies (GBR), Annie Lush (GBR) and Liz Wardley (AUS) will joining as crew members from early April.

Some 20 candidates have been through a rigorous training ‘camp’ at the team’s base in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote. The schedule has included tests of their fitness and stamina as well as medicals and sailing onboard the team’s VO70 training boat, SCA Care. All under the watchful eyes of the team coaches who have experience of some fifteen round the world races between them.

“We have been really impressed with the quality of the candidates coming through. There is a ten-year gap since the last time there was an all-female crew in this race, and the level of professional and competence is much higher now, so clearly none of us is underestimating the task ahead,” commented Richard Brisius, Managing Director, Team SCA.

From left, Carolijn Brouwer (NED), Sophie Cizcek (AUS), Sam Davies (GBR), Liz Wardley (AUS) and Annie Lush (GBR). Photo copyright Team SCA

All five women have a wide range of experience in sailing, from single handed offshore to Olympics and Match Racing. They have each carved their own niche in what is still considered to be a male-dominated sport.

“They are all very talented natural sailors, gender does not come in to it. Team SCA is providing the tools and structure to give these sailors a chance at competing on an equal footing in what is a classic round-the-world yacht race. It would be great to think that through all our efforts we could engage a new generation of women to break into competitive, crewed offshore racing. A female team in this race should be the norm, not something unusual,” concluded Brisius.

The squad will be based in Lanzarote until the start of the race in autumn 2014. Delivery of the Team SCA VO65 race boat is expected in the early autumn this year.

Only four other all-female teams have competed in this event in its 40-year history and the last all-female entry was Amer Sports Two in the 2001-02 edition of the race.

The Team SCA project is backed by SCA, the leading global hygiene and forest products company. Jan Johansson, President and CEO of SCA, comments: “For SCA this project not only forms an integral part of our marketing and communications activities. Our crew will be strong, high-performing role models internally as well as for our consumers worldwide, of whom 80 percent are women. As a sustainability leader, we know the important everyday roles women play to raise sanitation, hygiene and health standards in communities around the world. That is the core of SCA and our brands.”