In less than a year, the starting gun will fire on the world’s premier crewed global ocean race, but who will be on the line? So far, six teams have officially entered the Volvo Ocean Race, and an equal number of teams are still dreaming of making the start. While race CEO Knut Frostad has often predicted 10 entries, the current economic climate has made it hard for even established teams to find the financing they need. So who will make it to the starting line, and who will win?
The Official Entries (in alphabetical order)
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (http://abudhabioceanracing.ae/): While the intention of this Emirate to compete in the Volvo was well known for a while, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is the last of the major players to officially enter the race. Last may not be least, however, as Ian Walker and his High Aspect management company has been brought on as skipper and project management. Walker cut his teeth with the cash strapped Green Dragon syndicate last time around, but now has a rumored 25 million budget, so he will have no excuses to not be competitive this time around. The team has purchased Puma Avanti (nee ABN Amro 2, the world’s 2nd fastest monohull) as a training yacht that quietly went into the NEB shed in Newport this past spring for some work before being shipped to the Middle East.
Crew selection and trials have begun, and while no official announcements have been made, it would be safe to assume many of Walker’s lieutenants from Green Dragon will be headed to Abu Dhabi this winter. The team is also committed to finding Emirati nationals to join the sailing and shore team. "We are searching for a compatriot with steely determination, enduring physicality, strength of mind, quick intelligence and dynamic personality to be part of our multinational crew who will aim to win honors for the emirate. Whoever is selected will take on the considerable responsibility of working towards, and sharing, the aspirations of their homeland," said His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, ADTA. While applications were supposed to close on October 24, you can still apply through the team website, providing you meet the nationality and eligibility requirements.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing has chosen Farr Yacht Design to create their new boat, and construction is underway at Italy’s PERSICO yard, under the direction of master builder Jason Carrington. This is the same yard that has previously built Americas Cup yachts like Luna Rossa and Il Moro de Venzia, but will be their first VO 70. While a safe choice for design would have been another Juan Yacht Design variant, Walker does have a longstanding relationship with Farr, and the design house is eager to return to the level of offshore design prominence achieved under the Volvo 60 rule. Farr designed the Telefonica boats for the last race, and while the boats were light air weapons, more power will be needed from the new generation to keep up with the Juan K and B&C designs in power reaching conditions. It is also expected that Farr’s experiments with bow strakes will be abandoned in this iteration as well.
The team will have to work hard this winter to make up for a lack of sailing time and development other teams had this summer, but with sailing time limited by race rules, Walker’s team should be able to catch up with the other teams by sailing in the warm Persian Gulf this winter. While currently a wild card, don’t count this team out for overall honors next year.
Camper- Emirates Team New Zealand (http://www.camper.com/volvo_ocean_race/en/): Grant Dalton is once again going back to his ocean racing roots, this time managing the Camper Emirates Team New Zealand entry. According to Dalton, “The Volvo project instantly energizes our team, allows our designers and engineers to get going and in Camper we have found a great partner. They are a family company with family values and a culture that fits very well with Emirates Team New Zealand and our family of sponsors.
“The team has the capacity to integrate a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to sit alongside its commitments to the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the Audi MedCup 2010 and the next America’s Cup.
“There is some certainty in the America’s Cup following BMW Oracle Racing’s defeat of Alinghi. It’s apparent that with the timing of the America’s Cup, either 2013 or 2014, Emirates Team New Zealand can comfortably integrate a Volvo campaign into its operations.
Grant Dalton said a Volvo Ocean Race campaign was a natural fit for the team. “Our objective, once the team had re-established its credentials, was always to diversify as a means of keeping our people busy, focused and creative.
“With Louis Vuitton, the team started the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Dean Barker and the team campaigned successfully on the Audi MedCup TP52 circuit last year and now we have a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to organize from scratch.”
Dalton has been busy going through his Rolodex, hiring many veterans to fill out the new ocean racing team. Australian Chris Nicholson, watch captain on il Mostro last time around, has been appointed as skipper, while Roberto “Chuny” Bermudez de Castro and Stu Bannatyne have been announced as watch captains. The level of afterguard experience here is immense, and instantly makes the team a major contender. The rapidly rising match racing star Adam Minoprio has also been added to the crew list as one of the three required under 30 crew members, and it will be exciting to watch this ocean racing rookie adapt to “Life at the extreme”.
The Emirates Team New Zealand design team, headed by principal designer Marcelino Botin, is already hard at work designing the team’s new yacht. It will be built by Cookson Yachts, Auckland, and launched in the first quarter of 2011 before been sea-trialed and shipped to the Atlantic coast of Spain. This is the same team that designed the all conquering ETNZ TP-52, as well as Botin’s experience designing Puma’s 2nd place winning il Mostro, signals a powerful boat to rival the best of the new Juan design boats to grace the starting line.
The only drawback this team seems to have on paper is the lack of a VO-70 for training and sail design. With a reduced amount of sails allowed in this race, real time testing of designs and their crossover points is essential. This is still one area where computer CFD analysis cannot be solely relied upon. This team will need to work hard to catch up on sail development when their new boat hits the water in early 2011.
Groupama (http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en): The French are back in crewed monohull ocean racing for the first time since 1993, and they are instantly a favorite with legendary multihull specialist Franck Cammas heading a well funded Groupama challenge that has already committed for the next two races. In their desire to win the race, Cammas has ventured outside of the French sailing world to hire Damian Foxall as sailing program manager. Foxall, watch captain for the Green Dragon in the last race, has 7 previous laps around the planet in both mono and multihulls, and will be key in getting this team up to pace in lead assisted sailing. Crew trials have been underway this summer, and Groupama carried 6 under 30 crew in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, crushing the race record sailing the former Ericsson 4.
Groupama have begun construction of their new Juan Yacht Design boat at the Multiplast yard, under the direction of builder Killian Busche. Busche has a great relationship with Juan K and is undefeated in VO-70 yachts, being previously responsible for the construction of the Ericsson and ABN Amro programs. While it would have been fascinating to see a Verdier or VPLP design compete in the Volvo, Groupama took the safe choice and has been building on the extensive design database from the Juan studio, ensuring steady refinement in a wining design pedigree. With a stable sponsor, well organized team, and immense experience, it can be certain that this team will win a Volvo in at least one of their next two attempts.
Puma Ocean Racing Powered by Berg Propulsion (http://www.pumaoceanracing.com): The boys from Newport are back for their second crack at winning the Volvo, but only after Puma found a second sponsor to offset their level of financial commitment. Given the resounding success of Puma’s merchandise sales during the last race; this should be a clear indication of how hard it is for any team to secure funding this time around. (Note to Puma, bring Puma City to all the ports this time around. For those unfamiliar, Puma City was a portable store/bar/nightclub that quickly became THE place to be in Alicante and Boston) With the financial side secured, Puma settled into a summer of training in Newport, testing a new Hall Spars rig and new sail combinations on il Mostro. For anyone sailing in Newport this summer, the sight of il Mostro blasting through Narragansett Bay was an impressive sight! With a ban on two boat testing in place this time around, Puma was forced to race against boats like Rambler and Speedboat in the summer’s offshore races including Newport to Bermuda and the Ida Lewis Race. These events were great opportunities to try out new crew, since key members of the last team have left to pursue other opportunities. Puma has been quick to hire on new talent, picking up Brad Jackson and Tony Mutter from Ericsson 4, Tom Addis from Telefonica Blue, and Andrew Lewis (under 30) from ABN Amro2. Clearly experience is the key, and Puma has indicated there will be no rookies on this team, meaning under 30 crews with at least one lap have been a regular fixture at the team’s base this summer.
The next Puma yacht will be the second of three new Juan Kouyoumdjian designs in the next race, and construction is taking place at New England Boatworks. We are eager to see the new boat with a great paintjob hit the water in the spring. In the meantime, we hear that the team will be doing winter training on the Juan K 100 Speedboat, which has been chartered for the season by George David, owner of Rambler.
Undisclosed Entries (2): The final two confirmed entries remain officially under wraps, but they are widely assumed to be two boats from Spain. These entries were a condition of the deal that brought Volvo Ocean Race headquarters to Alicante, Spain in 2009. A new Juan Yacht design boat is being built now at a shed in Valencia, and Telefonica Azul (Blue) has been training this summer under the direction of Iker Martinez. The assumption is that one new boat and T-Blue will be the two Spanish entries, but the lack of an official statement seems to be due to the lack of committed sponsors. Telecommunications giant Telefonica, who sponsored 2 boats in the last race, and Movistar in 2005-2006, are reluctant to provide full funding, so syndicate head Pedro Campos has been looking for another title sponsor for the second boat.
Possible Entries
Green Dragon: Thanks to the success of the Galway stopover and the 3rd place finish in the last Transatlantic leg of the Volvo have convinced the Irish to give the race another shot. 2.5 million of funding has already been secured and Matt Humphries has been brought aboard as skipper of the Irish project. In an attempt to do the race on a 10 million budget, the old Green Dragon has entered a shed in Galway for a winter of repairs. The Reichel Pugh design was widely assumed to be a fast hull, but the boat had the lightest keel bulb in the fleet. Work this winter will involve strengthening and removing weight from the interior structure, to allow for a maximum weight bulb. Crew selection is underway, and the team hopes to have funding to begin training and building sails in early 2011. Of all the possible entries, this team has the best shot to make it to the starting line, but they need to ensure enough funding to be competitive all the way around the world.
Italia 70: The Italians made a big splash in 2009, with Giovanni Soldini, best known for rescuing fellow Around Alone competitor Isabelle Autissier from the Southern Ocean in 1999, being announced as skipper of a new team. With financial backing from Fiat’s John Elkann providing initial financing, the team purchased Ericsson 3 and planned to race it again around the world. Since then, the team has gone rather dormant. While rumors of sponsorship from Fiat and Pirelli have been floating around, the failure of the team to sail or race in events like the Middle Sea Race this year would indicate that the team is in jeopardy. They do, however, own a fast boat, and a quick injection of cash will get them to the starting line.
Brazil: Lars Grael was the first to announce an entry of an all Brazilian team in late 2008. Since that time, there has been little substance behind the claims. It would be highly unlikely to see this team make the start of the race.
Others: There have been rumors of a Swedish team and a Russian team trying to secure funding and a boat. Unfortunately for any new team, time is running out. While good boats like il Mostro and Ericsson 4 will be for sale in early 2011, sailing talent is being hired, and sails are being designed and tested by established teams. The window is fast closing, and it is likely that only 7 teams will make it to Alicante for the start October 2011. While the fleet may be small, this race is shaping up to be the most competitive field ever assembled to contest the Volvo Ocean Race. Life at the Extreme, you can’t get here soon enough!
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