He is standing on the floating dock at 6 o'clock in the morning when Charlie Enright moors up with "11th Hour Racing". He strolls through the Ocean Live Park, meets with interested parties who want to organise a stage stop at the next Ocean Race. He even drops in on the crews' welcome parties from time to time.
Richard Brisius' days are tightly scheduled. But the Swede always remains calm and friendly. After all, he has experienced everything in this sport, in every position. And at the moment, things are going well for the co-partner who, together with Johan Salen, has taken over the race from Volvo in order to lead it into a new future. Last week, he took the time to take stock for YACHT. Here it is!
Richard, you took part in the Whitbread Round the World Race yourself in 1989 and 1993. Then you became team boss at Ericsson, and now you are co-owner and organiser of the Ocean Race. When you follow the stages or the starts, like next week in Itajaí, are you more of a fan or more of a manager?
Totally a fan! That's an interesting twist for me: Having been on the side of a team for so long, whether as a sailor or a team manager, I always wanted to win. That's your main goal. But since joining the organisation of the event, I'm enjoying the entirety of the race in a different way. My new role has revitalised my interest in sailing. I love it. It's a beautiful sport.
Do you still actively sail regattas yourself?
I do races and ferries from time to time. But not that much, I have to say. I probably over-exerted myself in my younger years ... (smiles)
How do you rate the race so far?
It really exceeded my expectations right from the start. Before Alicante, we didn't know what impact the coronavirus pandemic might have. But then there was a really great atmosphere right from the start and there were more visitors than ever before. It was a perfect start. And the same goes for sailing! The first leg brought an immense challenge with the storm in the Strait of Gibraltar, which the boats were unable to avoid. The stop in Cape Verde also surprised us in a positive way. It was a first for the Ocean Race to call at the archipelago. And the race has changed the whole country. In future, this stop is a must. We will definitely be back!
The finish in Cape Town with what felt like a dozen lead changes on the last day and the tight finish could hardly have been more exciting. And now the longest leg is behind us, all boats will be ready for the leg to Newport. So we're expecting a good competition right to the end. Because even though we are almost round the globe, there are still more points to be awarded than this far. The transat from Newport and Århus counts double.
Were you confident from the outset that the new edition would be a success?
The race has always had a regular audience around the globe. And these fans are really important. But we also attract new spectators. This often has to do with where our teams come from. Germany is a good example, because Boris and his team Malizia have really revitalised the race in your country. More than half of the views on our website come from German-speaking countries.
It shows that sailing around the globe as a team in a constantly changing, increasingly digitalised world is a timeless idea. It's in our genes. It's an idea that takes our breath away.
I also see this in my work with the Mange Olsson Memorial Foundation, named after one of the greatest legends of the Ocean Race. Every year we award a prize to the best person in sailing and also give scholarships to young people. They are usually between 15 and 20 years old and their path usually leads through the Olympic dinghy classes. When I talk to them about their big dreams, many of them say that they want to sail around the world one day.
I also get very nice feedback from older people who have already taken part in this race and thank me for continuing. That means so much to me. And I also feel that from crew members with whom I raced around the world more than 30 years ago. They are still my best friends. We have a WhatsApp group where we talk about the race every week.
When do you have more leisure time - during the stage stops or when the sailors are travelling?
I'm always busy. There's so much to do. I wish it were different. But now it's time to shape the future of the race, to talk to those responsible in the host cities. It's a key phase for us!
How much of your time do you devote to the current race and how much to future races?
About 75 per cent is for the current race and 25 per cent for the future, I would say.
Is the Ocean Race missing a title sponsor?
That's an interesting question. I've been at the forefront of bringing businesses into sailing and giving them good value for 20 years. But at the same time, I feel like we need to step back a bit. Because if the commercial side takes centre stage too much, there is a tipping point.
The way to success is through collaboration, through good partnerships. In my time as a team leader, I have seen how important it is to have the right partner. It's not just about money. You create a certain spirit together, you cheer together, you benefit from each other.
We work with various stakeholders: the teams and the host cities, both of which are very important to us, as well as partners and affiliated organisations. Our job is to support them all and create value together. The more neutral we are, the better we can respond to everyone.
We didn't just come up with the name "The Ocean Race" ourselves, it was a joint decision with Volvo, the previous owner and organiser. It is and was important to them that the race has a good future. And Volvo, like us, was of the opinion that the new name was more appropriate.
Will it stay that way?
I think so, yes. That is our intention. If we had the right partner, someone who could take the Ocean Race forward for everyone involved, we might switch. But certainly not just for one edition.
How do you rate the change of class from the VO65 to the Imocas at half-time?
Five years ago, we decided on a strategy to open up the race. Almost all members of the Imoca class voted in favour of the Ocean Race back then. After that, we thought that many teams would sign up. For various reasons - Covid, budget, ambitions - it was obviously not suitable for everyone. But we are happy with this edition and sure that we will have more boats at the start in 2026/27.
As a race organiser, we naturally have to keep the radar open. Over the course of 50 years, there have been a number of classes in the Ocean Race. And we don't want to close ourselves off to other ideas or concepts. But the Imocas are certainly the way we want to go for the time being.
In the long term, there could even be a new class, which we have already done three times with the 60s, 70s and then the VO65s. That's a good thing, but also quite a challenge.
What we like about the Imoca class: it's an existing ecosystem, it's a class to be taken seriously, based on rules that have gone through many iterations. And how close the races were - who would have expected that? That was once seen as a major advantage of one-design classes. But in fact, the boats there circle the globe like a swarm of bees; if you look at the tracker, not much happens ... Here in the Imoca class, the lead changes so often, which makes it even more exciting.
How relieved are you that the crews were able to cross the Southern Ocean safely?
At the start in Cape Town, I had the feeling - both as an organiser and as a former competitor - that you should never forget how serious this stage can be, what can happen on the open sea when human ambition and cutting-edge technology come together. I wanted a safe passage. And that's what we got. That's why I'm very grateful that everything went well.
But we shouldn't assume that this is the end of the matter. The next stages could still be tough.
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
