The organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race today confirmed what manager Johan Salén had already revealed to YACHT in an interview in issue 14 ("We have a very good basis"): the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be held with two different boat classes. The last VO65 yachts will remain in the race for another (third) round. The Imocas, familiar from the Vendée Globe, will be joining them.
The two classes have very different characteristics. The new managers of Atlant Ocean Racing want to open up the race further with the parallel entry and appeal to more sailors and designers as well as inspire a wider range of spectators and fans. The crews will only compete against each other within their class. There will be two winners' trophies. At the same time, teams will be allowed to enter one crew in each of the two classes.
The Imoca 60, which has so far mainly been sailed by solo and double-handed crews on long-distance races such as the Vendée Globe single-handed non-stop circumnavigation or the Route du Rhum, for example, represents the latest high-tech developments in sailing. The class is to be further developed by leading designers so that it can be sailed around the world at the limit with full offshore crews.
In contrast, the VO65 yachts as a single class stand for highly exciting stages and finishes. At the 13th edition of the ocean marathon, there were several final phases in which two or more boats crossed the line within minutes of each other after various changes of position.
Johan Salén, one of the new owners of the race, said of the new two-class company: "By opening up the race to the Imoca 60 and VO65, we want to inspire the best sailors, designers and teams in the world to take up the challenge and compete with teams in the race to the top of the world. The introduction of the Imoca 60 brings a design and construction element to the race that takes us to the highest level of technological performance. This will appeal to the most competitive players in our sport. And we have just seen how close and exciting the event can be when the VO65 yachts are in action. By opening up the race to both classes, we get the best of both worlds."
The new management believes that the VO65 class will continue to appeal to the younger generation, Olympic sailors and America's Cup athletes. Salén says: "It will be the class where the stars of tomorrow are born. We want to encourage teams to give younger sailors a chance and bring the talent from smaller boats into the Osshore world." The "Notice of Race" for the 14th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race is already in the works and will be published in the autumn. Details such as the number of male and female sailors per crew will then be published. So the topic of "diversity" - will there be an incentive rule for women again? - will be postponed until then.
Eight to ten stopovers are planned for the next edition. The selection process for the host harbour cities has already begun and the first ones are to be announced in the coming weeks. The challenging Southern Ocean stages will be retained. The race will start again in Alicante in September or October 2021 and is scheduled to finish in May or June 2022 in a port that has not yet been determined. Salén's partner and co-director Richard Brisus said: "This race has been about people taking on the challenge of sailing around the world since 1973. The last edition was one of the best in history. Our job now is to build on that foundation (...)." Another important message from the new organisers at this early stage: Atlant Ocean Racing will take over the race completely from 1 October 2018. Volvo will remain on board as sponsor of the race.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
