The organizers of the Volvo Ocean Race confirmed today what manager Johan Salén of YACHT had already revealed in an interview in issue 14 ("We have a very good base"): The coming edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be held with two different boat classes. The last used VO65 yachts remain in the race for a further (third) lap. The Imocas known from the Vendée Globe are new.
Imocas like Boris Herrmann's "Malizia" will form a new class of their own at the 14th edition of the marine marathon
Both classes have very different characteristics. With the parallel use, the new managers of Atlant Ocean Racing want to open the race further and appeal to more sailors and designers as well as inspire a larger spectrum of spectators and fans. The crews only compete against each other within their class. There will be two winners' trophies announced. At the same time, teams will be allowed to start one team in each of the two classes.
On the openly designed VO65 yachts, the sailors had to fight against the forces of nature
The Imoc60, which so far has been and is mainly sailed by solo and two-hand crews on long distances such as the one-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the Vendée Globe or the Route du Rhum, for example, represents the most modern high-tech development in sailing. The class is to be further developed by leading designers so that it can be sailed around the world with full offshore crews at the limit.
In contrast to this, the VO65 yachts are a one-size-fits-all class for highly exciting stages and finishings. At the 13th edition of the marine marathon there were several final phases in which two or more boats reached the line within minutes after various changes of position.
Johan Salén, one of the new owners of the race, said of the new two-tier society: "By opening the race to the Imoc60 and the VO65, we want to inspire the best sailors, designers and teams in the world to take on this challenge and with teams compete in the race around the world in the summit assault. The introduction of the Imoc60 brings a design and construction element into the race that brings us to the highest level of technological capability. This will please the most competitive players in our sport. And we just saw how close and thrilling the event can be when the VO65 yachts are in action. By opening the race to both classes, we get the best of both worlds."
The winners of the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race from the Dongfeng Race Team. At the end of the 2021/22 race there will be two winners
The new management believes that the VO65 class will continue to appeal to the younger generation, Olympic sailors and America's Cup athletes. Says Salén: "It will be the class that tomorrow's stars will be born in. We want to encourage teams to give younger sailors a chance and bring the talent of smaller boats into the Osshore world." The "Notice of Race" for the 14th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race is already in progress and should be published in autumn. Details such as the number of sailors per crew are then published there. So the theme remains "Diversity" - will there be an incentive rule for women again? - postponed until then.
Eight to ten stopovers are planned for the next edition. The selection process of the host port cities has already started, the first are to be announced in the coming weeks. The demanding Southern Ocean stages will be retained. The race will start again in Alicante in September or October 2021 and is expected to end in a port that has not yet been determined in May or June 2022. Salén's partner and co-director Richard Brisus said: "This race has been about people accepting the challenge of circumnavigating the world since 1973. The last edition was one of the best in history. Our job now is to build on this basis (…). " Another important message from the new organizers at this early stage: Atlant Ocean Racing will take over the race in full from October 1st, 2018. Volvo remains on board as a sponsor of the race.
