The organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race are making adjustments and also turning bigger wheels to further increase the appeal of the team regatta around the world. This includes a New crew system which aims to promote the inclusion of women.
A new scoring system will also be introduced. Instead of the low-point system, the high-point system will be used: Whoever has the most points wins. This should be easier for spectators to understand, as it is also used in other sports such as Formula 1. At the same time, this gives the opportunity to award additional points. This is used to further emphasise the character of an ocean race, which has been partially lost in the past due to short legs and a reduction in the proportion of routes in the Southern Ocean.
The two legs through the Southern Ocean, Cape Town-Hong Kong and Auckland-Itajai, as well as the North Atlantic leg Newport-Cardiff will be scored twice. In addition, there is a bonus point for the winner of each leg and for the team that rounds Cape Horn first. The team with the best overall sailing time over the race will also receive an additional point. As last time, the results of the Inport Races will only be used to break ties in the overall standings and will therefore primarily retain their PR character.
Work is also continuing on the media presentation of the Volvo Ocean Race. In the past, Internet access from on board was severely restricted in order to prevent outside help and thus maintain equal opportunities. For the upcoming regatta, however, all crew members will be given the opportunity to post their own posts on their social networks via a specially programmed tool, a kind of one-way internet street.
The role of the on-board reporter will also be changed. Each team will no longer have its own reporter, but there will be a pool from which the reporters will keep changing teams. This is intended to ensure more independent and professional reporting.
The organisers have apparently also managed to increase the team strength by an eighth crew. In any case, the eighth boat is under construction, while the seven Volvo Ocean 65s that have already been used once are undergoing extensive refits. For the first time, the boats will also be equipped with a hydrogenerator, which, if it proves its worth, should make it possible to race independently of fossil fuel suppliers in subsequent editions.
Another innovation is mandatory qualification regattas, which primarily serve to generate public interest at an early stage and as a form check for the crews. To this end, the teams must take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race and a specially created regatta from Lisbon to the starting harbour of Alicante.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
