The organisers are only revealing the details of the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race in bits and pieces. For example, that Auckland will once again be a stage finish, both for the 2014/15 edition and the following one.
Which is not surprising. From 1977 to 2001, Auckland was the starting point of the Volvo Ocean Races and its predecessor, the Whitbread Round the World Race. Only in 2005/06 did the capital Wellington take over this role, and in 2008/09 the fleet sailed past the archipelago altogether.
Auckland then took part again in the last edition in 2011/12. The city, which calls itself the City of Sails, thus continued a tradition that is now apparently being continued in the long term.
With the naming of Auckland, another leg of the race is also clear. From Alicante/Spain, the first leg will be to Recife/Brazil. The organisers are thus breaking with a long tradition. The first stage used to lead directly to Cape Town and was the first big test for the teams. It is still unclear what will happen after Recife. The next stops are to be announced in the coming weeks - a now common PR salami tactic.
However, Brazil will host the event a second time. From Auckland, the fleet will be sent on the long leg through the Southern Ocean around Cape Horn to Itajaí, according to the organisers. The Brazilian harbour city was also visited in the last edition. The fact that a Brazilian team was announced almost at the same time is certainly no coincidence.
As the organisers are announcing this stage as the big Southern Ocean leg, it can probably be assumed that after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the route will head north-east towards Asia again. However, we won't know for sure until the next stages are cut off.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
