The upcoming twelfth edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be sailed for the first time on uniform, almost 20 metre long boats. This was announced by the organiser today. The reason for this is the many cancellations during the race and the fact that the costs are apparently still too high.
The new Volvo 65 (V65) will be designed by Farr Yacht Design in the USA. The successful designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, who had designed the winning yachts in the last two editions and is also likely to have designed the winning yacht in the current race, has apparently been booted out.
Four shipyards from France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK are to build the various components. The organisers hope that this will result in uniform boats and a significant reduction in costs, as well as a reduction in the number of crew from ten to eight and the number of permitted sails from ten to seven. A budget of 12 to 15 million euros should therefore be realistic. At least eight teams should be encouraged to take part in 2014.
More security
Safety was an important aspect in the decision in favour of a single class. "Reliability will increase," said Race Director Knut Frostad. This is because competitors will no longer be able to optimise their yachts themselves, which has always led to a reduction in weight at the expense of safety.
Although, with a deck length of 65 feet (19.80 metres), 1.70 metres shorter than the yachts in the current Volvo 70 class, the V65 will have a slightly higher speed potential, according to Frostad. The draught has been increased by 20 centimetres to 4.70 metres, while the overall weight has been reduced by 3.25 tonnes to 10.75 tonnes. With a smaller sail area upwind and downwind, handling and physical strain should become easier so that a female crew with two additional sailors would also have a realistic chance of winning. The construction costs for a ready-to-sail yacht amount to around 4.5 million euros, significantly less than for a VO70, where the customised design was the main factor.
The decision in favour of the Volvo 65 based on a Farr design was reportedly preceded by weeks of consultations with various designers, offshore sailors, sponsors and other stakeholders. A freeze on the design formula of the existing VO70 yachts was rejected, as was a switch to the Imoca Open 60, which is used to sail single-handed and double-handed races around the world, as well as to multihulls. Frostad: "Monohulls are part of the DNA of the Volvo Ocean Race. They have also proven themselves as a TV platform, which we want to expand even further with more live broadcasts." An additional crew member will once again be exclusively responsible for media relations on board.
The boats are to be constructed in such a way that they are ready for the next but one regatta in 2017/18. The various components come from the shipyards "Multiplast" (France), "Persico" (Italy) and "Decision" (Switzerland). Final production is carried out by "Green Marine" in Hythe, England. The first V65 is scheduled to be launched in June 2013 and the last in July 2014, a few months before the next regatta starts. If interest exceeds supply, more than eight boats could be built by next summer. The upcoming route with the ports of call and schedule will be announced in December. A shortening of the route and a more balanced break management are being discussed.
