Volvo Ocean Race
Encyclopedia
The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

 race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...

. At this moment the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...

 holds the record of three wins with the Dutch skipper Conny van Rietschoten
Conny van Rietschoten
Cornelis van Rietschoten, round the world yachtsman – winner of the 1977/78 and 1981/82 Whitbread Round the World Race.Born: 23rd March 1926, Rotterdam, Netherlands...

 being the only skipper to win the race twice.

Though the route is changed to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs Europe in October, and in recent editions has had either 9 or 10 legs, with in-port races at many of the stopover cities. The last completed edition of the race started in Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, on October 11, 2008. The route for the 2008-2009 race
2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race
The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race was a yacht race held between October 4, 2008, and June 27, 2009—the 10th edition of the round the world Volvo Ocean Race....

 was altered from previous years to include stopovers in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 for the first time. The 2008-09 route covered nearly 39000 nmi (72,228 km), took over nine months to complete, and reached a cumulative TV audience of 2 billion people worldwide.

During the nine months of the 2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 in October 2011 and concludes in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, in early July 2012, the teams are scheduled to sail over 39000 nmi (72,228 km) of the world’s most treacherous seas via Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...

, Sanya
Sanya
Sanya is the southernmost city in China and is a part of Hainan Province. In 2006, it had a population of 536,000, making it, after the provincial capital , the second most populous city on the island. The city is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination,...

, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...

 to Itajaí
Itajaí
Itajaí is a Brazilian city in the state of Santa Catarina.-History:The city was founded on June 15, 1860, but the colonization of Itajaí started in 1658, when the Paulista João Dias D’Arzão arrived in the region. In 1750, Portuguese colonists coming from Madeira and the Azores made this region...

, Miami, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, and Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...

.

Each of the entries has a sailing team of 11 professional crew and the race requires their utmost skills, physical endurance and competitive spirit as they race day and night for more than 20 days at a time on some of the legs. They will each take on different jobs on board the boat, and on top of these sailing roles, there will be two sailors that have had medical training, as well as a sailmaker, an engineer and a dedicated media crew member.

During the race the crews will experience life at the extreme: no fresh food is taken on board, so they live off freeze-dried fare; they will experience temperature variations from -5 to +40 degrees Celsius and will only take one change of clothes. They will trust their lives to the boat and the skipper and experience hunger and sleep deprivation.

History

In 1972 England's Whitbread
Whitbread
Whitbread PLC is a global hotel, coffee shop and restaurant company headquartered in Dunstable, United Kingdom. Its largest division is Premier Inn, which is the largest hotel brand in the UK with around 580 hotels and over 40,000 rooms. Its Costa Coffee chain has around 1,600 stores across 25...

 company and the British Royal Naval Sailing Association
Royal Naval Sailing Association
The Royal Naval Sailing Association is the governing body that oversees all aspects of sailing, both racing and recreational sailing cruises, throughout the British Royal Navy...

 agreed to sponsor a globe-circling regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

, which would be called the 'Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race'.

17 yachts and 167 crew started the first race of 27500 nmi (50,930 km), which began from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on September 8, 1973. Approximately 3000 spectator boats set out to witness the historic start.

The original course was designed to follow the route of the square rig
Square rig
Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called yards and their tips, beyond the last stay, are called the yardarms...

gers, which had carried cargo around the world during the 19th Century.

From 2001 the ownership of the race was taken over by Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...

 and Volvo Cars
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...

 and the race was renamed the ‘Volvo Ocean Race’. Stopover ports were added in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 being Volvo's three biggest car markets in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

Winning the race does not attract a cash prize, as the feat of competing is presented as sufficient reward; however Waterford Crystal
Waterford Crystal
Waterford Crystal is a trademark brand of crystal glassware, previously produced in Waterford, Ireland, though the factory there was shut down after the receivership of Waterford Wedgwood plc in early 2009...

 trophies are awarded to the winners of each leg and the race overall.

The worst weather conditions are usually encountered in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...

 where waves sometimes top 100 feet (30.5 m) and winds can reach 60 knots (117.6 km/h).

The yachts

The Volvo Open 70 is the current class of racing yachts designed for the Volvo Ocean Race.

History

Edition Class Legs In-Port Races Entries Start Finish Winning yacht Winning skipper
1973-74
1973-74 Whitbread Round the World Race
The first Whitbread Round the World Race started off from Portsmouth, England on September 8, 1973. Seventeen yachts of various sizes and rigs took part. During the race three sailors were swept over board and died: Paul Waterhouse, Dominique Guillet and Bernie Hosking...

32–80 ft (9.8–24.4 m) 4 0 17   Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

  Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

  Sayula II   Ramón Carlin
1977-78
1977-78 Whitbread Round the World Race
On August 27th, 1977, 15 boats started out from Southampton for the Whitbread Round the World Race under gale force winds and driving rain.-Final Standings:...

51–77 ft (15.5–23.5 m) 4 0 15   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Flyer   Conny van Rietschoten
Conny van Rietschoten
Cornelis van Rietschoten, round the world yachtsman – winner of the 1977/78 and 1981/82 Whitbread Round the World Race.Born: 23rd March 1926, Rotterdam, Netherlands...

1981-82
1981-82 Whitbread Round the World Race
On August 8, 1981, 29 boats started out from Southampton for the Whitbread Round the World Race.-Final Standings:The maxi yacht Flyer II was designed by Germán Frers and built at the Royal Huisman shipyard in 1981 for skipper Cornelius van Rietschoten. In an unusual feat, she won the race both on...

43–80 ft (13.1–24.4 m) 4 0 29   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

  Flyer II   Conny van Rietschoten
Conny van Rietschoten
Cornelis van Rietschoten, round the world yachtsman – winner of the 1977/78 and 1981/82 Whitbread Round the World Race.Born: 23rd March 1926, Rotterdam, Netherlands...

1985-86
1985-86 Whitbread Round the World Race
On September 28, 1985, 15 boats started out from Southampton for the Whitbread Round the World Race.Leg Start FinishLeg winnerelapsed timeLeg winnercorrected time 1 Southampton, England Cape Town, South Africa UBS SwitzerlandL'Esprit d'Equipe...

49–83 ft (14.9–25.3 m) 4 0 15   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

  L'Esprit d'Equipe   Lionel Péan
1989-90
1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race
Final standings:Pos Boat Nat Skipper LOA/DesAggregate 1 Steinlager 2 Peter Blake 84' Ketch128 d 9 h2 Fisher & Paykel NZ Grant Dalton 82' Ketch129 d 21 h3 Merit Pierre Fehlmann 80' Sloop130 d 10 h...

51–84 ft (15.5–25.6 m) 6 0 23   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

Steinlager 2 Peter Blake
Peter Blake (yachtsman)
Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...

1993-94
1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race
The 1993 to 1994 Whitbread Round the World Race was run to "mixed class" rules . New for the 93/4 race was a purpose built Whitbread boat—the W60. As with previous years a handicap was applied to different boats based on their race rating. The competitors were none too keen or running both...

85 ft (25.9 m) ketchs & Whitbread 60 6 0 14   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

NZ Endeavour Grant Dalton
Grant Dalton
-Background:Grant Dalton is a professional sailor who started sailing at the age 8 in the P Class and soon started racing as a member of Maraeti Beach Boating Club...

1997-98
1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race
The Whitbread Round the World Race ran for the first time with all W60 boats and to a "points vs time" scoring system to enhance the value of the shorter race legs. Also, in an effort to attract additional media coverage, the Whitbread race committee divided the race into no less than 9 legs for...

Whitbread 60 9 0 10   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

  EF Language   Paul Cayard
Paul Cayard
Paul Pierre Cayard is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year...

2001-02
2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race
For the 2001 to 2002 the sponsorship of the race was taken over by Volvo and Volvo Cars. The race was renamed the Volvo Ocean Race. Stopovers were added in Germany, France, and Sweden being the Volvo's three biggest car markets in Europe. In addition the points system had been modified...

Whitbread 60 10 0 8   Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...

  Illbruck Challenge   John Kostecki
John Kostecki
John Paul Kostecki is an American competitive sailor.-Career:Kostecki started his sailing career in the windy and tide-swept waters of San Francisco Bay, California....

2005-06
2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race
thumb|Pirates of the Caribbean near the finish line of last leg of 2005/06 race.thumb|Brunel finishing the New York Legthumb|The competitors at port in Annapolis....

Volvo Open 70
Volvo Open 70
The Volvo Open 70 is the current class of racing yachts designed for the Volvo Ocean Race. It was first used in the 2005-2006 race and use a Canting keel which is capable of canting transversely up to an angle of 40 degrees.According to the VO70 rule, the yachts can be made...

9 7 7   Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

  Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

  ABN Amro I Mike Sanderson
Mike Sanderson
Mike Sanderson is a New Zealand sailor. In 2006 he married British round-the-world yachtswoman Emma Richards in Cowes, UK....

2008-09
2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race
The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race was a yacht race held between October 4, 2008, and June 27, 2009—the 10th edition of the round the world Volvo Ocean Race....

Volvo Open 70
Volvo Open 70
The Volvo Open 70 is the current class of racing yachts designed for the Volvo Ocean Race. It was first used in the 2005-2006 race and use a Canting keel which is capable of canting transversely up to an angle of 40 degrees.According to the VO70 rule, the yachts can be made...

10 7 8   Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...

  Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

  Ericsson 4   Torben Grael
Torben Grael
Torben Schmidt Grael is one of the most well known Brazilian sailors, renowned in international competitions. A descendant of Danes, he was taken sailing by his grandfather at five years old on the sailboat Aileen, of the extinct 6 meter class, which was the boat used by the silver medal winning...

2011-12 Volvo Open 70
Volvo Open 70
The Volvo Open 70 is the current class of racing yachts designed for the Volvo Ocean Race. It was first used in the 2005-2006 race and use a Canting keel which is capable of canting transversely up to an angle of 40 degrees.According to the VO70 rule, the yachts can be made...

9 10 6   Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...

Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...


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