Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 Programme - English by Gavin Brown

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get in the action Virtual Regatta Offshore Virtual Regatta Offshore sees the Volvo Ocean Race’s much-loved multiplayer game return to the world’s desktops and mobile devices. For the full nine months of the race, popular French presenter Sébastien Destremau will host Virtual Regatta News - an online news programme for gamers all about ‘the race inside the race’. There will also be a lighter, arcade version of the game for social media platforms. In 2012, British player Mark Campbell-James saw off more than 200,000 virtual racers to take home a shiny trophy and the keys to a brand new Volvo XC60. Who will win virtual sailing’s biggest challenge in 2015? Get involved and experience the thrill of going around the planet without getting wet.

These concentric squares on a flag indicate Force 12 – the maximum on the Beaufort Scale, commonly used to indicate wind speed. This is also the 12th edition of the world’s toughest ocean race.

Carl Milles’ Poseidon stands in Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden – the final port of the race fleet’s odyssey around the world. 3

FIND YOUR OWN CHALLENGE. We designed the XC60 to make your world bigger. This vehicle gives you the the rugged functionality of a capable SUV and the stylish looks and great drive you expect from a sophisticated road car. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the perfect car for demanding drivers in search of adventure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both in town and beyond. Volvo XC60 Ocean Race Edition with AWD

Welcome to the Volvo Ocean Race Inside

a perfect stormBegins The Drama

lives well lived Good Grief, are these

RACING FOR OCEAN SUPREMACY Meet the Cast

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE? WE LOOK AT TODAY’S BREED OF SUPER-SAILOR AND LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE 12TH EDITION OF THE LONGEST, TOUGHEST RACE OF THEM ALL

US SPORTSWRITER, CHUCK CULPEPPER, WAS INVITED TO THE LAST VOLVO OCEAN RACE TO LEARN ABOUT THE DEMANDS OF OCEAN SAILING VERSUS OTHER SPORTS. WHAT HE FOUND SHATTERED HIS PRE-CONCEPTIONS AND TAUGHT HIM THAT SAILORS ARE AMONG THE MOST EXTREME ATHLETES OF ALL

7 TEAMS – ONE FEMALE AND SIX MALE LINE UP IN ALICANTE FOR SAILING’S ULTIMATE TEST. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY SET OFF IN IDENTICAL BOATS. FOR THE SAILORS WHO WIN THIS RACE, IT’S A CHANCE TO BE CONFIRMED AROUND THE WORLD AS THE BEST OF THE BEST

rebel without aKit Pause Set

married to the challenge Love at the Extreme

home on theCowgirl roaring 40s From to Oceanaut

CHENG YING KIT IS 33 AND EMBARKING ON AN ADVENTURE THAT ONLY ONE CHINESE SAILOR HAS ATTEMPTED PREVIOUSLY. ARE HIS PARENTS PROUD? “THEY THINK SAILING IS NOT SERIOUS. NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN MAKE MONEY AND SUPPORT YOURSELF WITH,” HE TELLS SAM GREENFIELD

IN PROFESSIONAL SPORT, RELATIONSHIPS HAVE TO DEAL WITH MORE HIGHS AND LOWS THAN AVERAGE. BUT IMAGINE HOW IT FEELS AT HOME WHEN MUMMY OR DADDY IS AWAY, CARVING UP THE OCEAN NEAR ANTARCTICA. KATE LAVEN ASKS THE AWKWARD QUESTIONS

IN ONLY A FEW YEARS, SHE HAS GONE FROM ROUNDING UP PIGS TO CLAIMING HER PLACE ON THE RACE’S FIRST ALLWOMAN TEAM IN OVER A DECADE. DAVID SCHMIDT MEETS SARA HASTREITER A SAILOR ALREADY USED TO OVERCOMING BARRIERS

Guys Athletes...

sea of science Is Anyone Here a

Marine Biologist? ONE SAILOR HAS BALANCED PARALLEL CAREERS AS A PROFESSIONAL NAVIGATOR AND CORAL REEF ECOLOGIST. THE COMMON DENOMINATOR? THE SEA. WILL OXLEY TALKS TO MARTY FREE ABOUT THE APPEALING – AND APPALLING SIDES OF ‘THE BIG BLUE’

What’s in your the volvo ocean 65 kitbag, adil kHalid? a remarkable Travelling Light Game-changerride SAILING THE WORLD ON A VOLVO OCEAN 65, THE ONLY LIVING SPACE A SAILOR GETS IS A BUNK, AND A BAG. IT’S NO HOLIDAY. EMIRATI SAILOR, ADIL KHALID, OPENS UP FOR LOUAY HABIB

FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE WILL BE SAILED ON IDENTICAL BOATS; BUT NOT JUST ANY BOAT: IT’S THE LATEST STEP FORWARD IN LONG-COURSE OCEAN RACING. MATT SHEAHAN TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT MAKES THE VOLVO OCEAN 65 A REMARKABLE RIDE

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A world of The contrasts Longest Racetrack

The Volvo Ocean Race Trophy

trophy

sailing intelligence Life Hacks for

FOR 9 MONTHS, 59 SAILORS BATTLE THE ELEMENTS – AND EACH OTHER – AROUND THE WORLD. ALICANTE TO GOTHENBURG; 4 OCEANS, 5 CONTINENTS. WE ANALYSE WHAT LIES AHEAD OF THEM IN THIS EPIC RACE AND PREVIEW ITS SPECTACULAR LANDSIDE LOCATIONS

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FROM THERace LOFT Official Collection

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sponsor board Race Partners

Published by: Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U., Muelle nº 10 de Levante, Puerto de Alicante, 03001 Alicante, Spain. Tel. +34 966 011 100 Supervising Editor Björn Alberts Editor Gavin Brown Consulting Editor Jon Bramley Creative Consultant Spencer Thursfield Design Bruno Durand Print Jimenez Godoy, S.A. Advertising sales Crescendo Brands, S.L., info@crescendobrands.com, +34 666 593 868. Contributors: Riath Al-Samarrai, Gavin Brown, Mark Chisnell, Chuck Culpepper, Marty Free, Sam Greenfield, Louay Habib, Marcus Hutchinson, Kate Laven, Robert Penner, David Schmidt, Matt Sheahan Thanks to: Mary Gleeson, Carmen Hidalgo, Lizzie Ward, Carla Nebreda

Landlubbers

IMAGINE YOU’RE IN A CONVERTIBLE, DRIVING 50 INTO A STORM. OUT OF NOWHERE, A FROG JUMPS OFF THE ROAD, CATCHES THE WIND, AND SPLOTCHES INTO YOUR FACE. AT SEA, THAT’S WHAT A FLYING FISH FEELS LIKE WITHOUT A HELMET. SAILOR NICO LUNVEN SHARES HIS TOP TIPS FOR LIFE ON THE OTHER 30% OF THE PLANET

© 2014 Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, without permission. Permission must also be obtained before any part of this publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature. Whilst every care is taken with submitted material to ensure factual accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted by Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U., the Volvo companies or any editor or contributor for any loss or damage arising as a result of information contained in this publication. The views expressed by individual contributors are not necessarily those of Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U. or the Volvo companies. All rights reserved. 7

THE ESSENCE OF ADVENTURE Björn Alberts joined Volvo Ocean Race Headquarters in early 2014. When the Swedish marketeer arrived in Alicante , he was already well aware of the Race’s enduring appeal but was curious to know exactly what it was that so captivates people at the heart of the event

High-powered boats conquering hostile conditions make for a huge drama. Björn was inquisitive about the attitudes and personalities of the people who shape the race so he went to ask some of those with the biggest stake in the game about why it inspires them. 8

“The combination of physical endurance and mental toughness it takes to complete this race makes it one of the most extreme athletic events on earth” Laird Hamilton, American extreme surfing legend

BA: What do you think makes the race special compared to other events? Knut Frostad: (Former Olympian, race skipper and Race CEO) The Volvo Ocean Race is incredibly long and hard. It’s about pushing yourself to the limit, night and day without a break. To do that, as part of a team of people, is just an amazing experience. Franck Cammas: (Champion French sailor and 2011-12 racewinning skipper) The Volvo is the competition with the best sailors in the world. Managing human resources within the teams is key. To try to master all the elements and overcome the difficulties throughout the race is a very exciting challenge! Olof Persson: (President and CEO, Volvo Group) It’s a global event – accessible to everyone over such a long period. As a sport, ocean racing relies

on professionalism, teamwork and the ability to push oneself to the utmost limits – while constantly being challenged by Mother Nature. For us, it is an event that unites the different entities and our employees, making us even stronger together as a global player within the heavy-duty industry. Shirley Robertson: (Double Olympic gold-medalist and presenter of CNN Mainsail) Every second, every minute, every hour...day after day, they are pushing harder than they dare; take their foot off the gas, breathe out, relax and the race is over. That’s what makes ‘the Volvo’ what it is, not just the fear of what the planet’s oceans can throw at the world’s best, but the fear of losing. Every second of every day…it’s like nothing else. Håkan Samuelsson: (President, Volvo Car Group) It’s the ultimate blend of adventure, extremes and human drama. We build cars with people as a starting point, and this race is all about humans and their personal

triumphs. It’s an amazing tool for building desire for our brand and cars, allowing our customers, dealers and media contacts access to unique and breathtaking experiences in race villages around the world. Bob Fisher: (Multiple world champion sailor and esteemed sailing journalist) It is as tough as it gets. To compare it to other extreme sports, only ocean rowing, trans-arctic and Antarctic crossing, and mountaineering share similar physical demands, but in most others there is some form of ‘sheltering’ against the worst climatic conditions. BA: Is there any particular story from the race’s history that touched you in a lasting or profound way? Knut Frostad: The race is like a photo album of powerful impressions and emotional moments. I will never forget seeing Petra van Rij, the widow of Hans Horrevoets who tragically lost his life in the

“Ocean racing relies on professionalism, teamwork and the ability to push oneself to the utmost limits” Olof Persson, President and CEO, Volvo Group 2005-06 race, giving a speech at the prize-giving ceremony about not forgetting what this race is all about. This race is real. Michele D’Agostino: (Mobile advertising executive, hobby sailor and race fan on Facebook) Magnus Olsson was always my hero and I remember him leading Ericsson 3 to leg victory from China to Brazil via Cape Horn in 2009. He had almost sunk in the previous leg and started this one with a huge delay. Epic! So sad ‘Mange’ won’t be around to see this race… BA: Besides winning, what is the best thing about the race?

Charles Caudrelier: (Dongfeng Race Team skipper) It’s the longest sporting event on the planet! Each time you participate represents 18 months of your life, often more. In offshore sailing, you can race across oceans but in this race you sail around the world. It creates an unprecedented sense of achievement.

Sam Davies: (Team SCA skipper) This is racing and endurance but also adventure. We get to go places and discover things that nobody can even pay to do. Sights such as a stormy sunrise, the green flash, Cape Horn, an iceberg, killer whales and albatrosses all leave souvenirs for life.” Franck Cammas: To go around the world, with a sailing boat - that is awesome! Rounding Cape Horn after a week of huge waves and strong winds, with a team focused on safety, is an unforgettable moment. BA: What can the race offer to our understanding of the oceans? Mark Towill: (Team Alvimedica co-founder and sailor) I’ve personally sailed through the Pacific Gyre and experienced the immense amount of marine debris that exists. The world’s oceans are in desperate need of help and I hope that we can use this race as a platform for education and marine conservation.

Morten Kamp Jørgensen: (Marketing & Communications head at Vestas Wind Systems) The race takes issues that we, as wind-energy specialists, confront daily – climatic extremes and the state of the oceans. It makes climate change more present and easier for a wider audience to comprehend. It shows directly that this is truly an issue of global proportions. Charly Meehan: (RSPB – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds*) The race is a great platform to communicate the threat facing the albatross. With the race’s help we can spread the word about how vital the ocean’s role is in a balanced, sustainable ecosystem that we can all do something to protect and safeguard. (*The Volvo Ocean Race supports the RSPB’s ‘Save the Albatross’ campaign) BA: What are you hoping for most from this race? Gerd-Jan Poortman: (Team Brunel sailor) Sailing around Cape Horn. In my first Volvo Ocean Race, I was injured en route to New Zealand

and missed the next leg. The second time, our boat had to travel from China to Brazil on a container ship. There is a book in Holland and every sailor that rounds the Horn gets their name written in that book. I want my name in that book. Simon Le Bon: (Duran Duran frontman and 1985-86 race competitor) A massive difference for me is the one-design element because, when I did it, every boat was a different length and weight, designed by a different person and with a different-sized crew. This is one-design racing - it makes it a greater spectacle, a better spectator sport …and much easier to follow. Larry Keating: (Broadcaster, keen sailor and race fan on Facebook) Better storytelling of the tension and of sailing on the edge of disaster. The images off the water in the last race took the event to new heights visually. Now I want to hear more of the dramatic, challenging daily experiences – good or bad!

The heart of a Volvo Ocean 65: One single standard diesel engine powers everything onboard â&#x20AC;&#x201C; communication equipment, computers, light and heating, water maker, keel control, and propulsion in emergency situations and for transport in harbors. Demands on reliable performance are absolute.

D2-75 with s-drive

Forty-odd years ago, when the idea of sending fully-crewed sailboats out to race each other around the world was floated, it was considered borderline insane. Today, thanks to advances in materials, know-how and communications, sailors’ lives are better protected than in 1973, but the need for speed has seen their quality of life take a pounding. Literally.

A Perfect Storm “They’re not trying to make us into a team that can sail around the world. They want us to race competitively around the world.” Sara Hastreiter and her crewmates aboard Team SCA know racing means digging deep and, in this race, that can mean giving their all for weeks at a time. This is the age of the super-sailor – uncompromising oceanauts determined to prove themselves on the longest and toughest racetrack of them all.

For this generation of sailors, 24/7 speed is the mantra that will dictate their daily lives over nine long months. Risk is a constant factor – human bodies are as fragile as they have always been – but today’s sailors rely on experience, preparation and their crewmates to keep fear and danger back-of-mind. Extremes that would bring any other sport to a halt simply have to be overcome in this race, as Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper, Ian Walker puts it: “The whole race is made up of extremes – there is very little normal about what we do.”

“This race will be more about consistency, reducing downtime and [ensuring] good trimming and driving,” explains Walker. The ever-patient Briton has spoken of the ‘immense frustration’ of twice rounding the world in slow boats. Today he says: “Everybody has the same boat, everybody has a chance. It’s definitely going to be the tightest race in history.” For the first time, no team can rely on a major competitive edge developed away from the racecourse. Design, testing and building budgets have too often skewed the competitiveness of previous races. Now, the onus of performance falls squarely on the sailors – their real-time decisions and actions will win and lose this race. Charles Caudrelier, skipper

MIND GAMES

The arms race is over; the battle of human limits has commenced. “We will have to rely more on people to make the difference …and we will push harder.”

With the likelihood of the fleet being very even over long periods, mental conditioning takes on a new significance. Patience and concentration will be key to conserving energy and taking chances. Bekking’s wingman Gerd-Jan Poortman has seen plenty of things go wrong at sea and says, “The most important thing is to keep your concentration and think well about the consequences before you do something.”

TESTING LIMITS

NO EXCUSES Every sport evolves, usually in increments. But this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race takes a giant leap with the introduction of the Volvo Ocean 65 – a 20-metre carbon-fibre torpedo designed and built especially for this race. It’s a better all-round boat that demands more from sailors than ever before: more strength, stamina and skilled handling. It means a crew has to sail the best in order to be the best.

of Dongfeng Race Team, explains the fine margin of error that exists even over such long distances: “Stacking one kilo more than necessary could cost valuable seconds, which can make the difference between winning and losing.”

The arms race is over; the battle of human limits has commenced This is life at the extreme

There is no instruction manual for driving a Volvo Ocean 65 and it is up to the teams to discover how hard they can push their boats without breaking them. “I hope the boats will be up to the challenge!!” says Caudrelier. In the search for speed, the teams will test boats and bodies to their limits. “The ones who push the most will get furthest,” he continues. But recklessness carries the risk of breakages, injury and failure. “As the boats have been designed for the race with a high safety margin, there could be an argument to push the boats hard. If done too much, it could cost the team heavily,” explains Dee Caffari of Team SCA. “The test will be who can manage the time to push and the time to back off.” Team Alvimedica skipper Charlie Enright puts it succinctly: “It’s not a race won simply by sailing fast and smart – it’s an endurance test.” After six races, Team Brunel’s leader Bouwe Bekking knows what that test entails. It means “maintaining focus and never putting [one’s] own interests above those of the team.”

Bruising, physical conditions have long been part of the race: Caudrelier compares it to “an ultra-trail raced at the rhythm of a 10 km running race”. It’s not exactly reckless, but the history of high drama and grisly injuries is long.

Long periods of calm or unsettled weather can provide the toughest challenges of all: “Races can be won or lost during calms,” confirms Poortman. It’s in moments like these where not having the right roles, routines and chemistry on board can be cruelly exposed. “There aren’t many sports where you compete for weeks on end, confined to a small space, with only your teammates,” explains Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Simon Fisher. “Being a good team player comes pretty high up the list.” Even personalities hardened by thousands of sea miles can crack. Long periods of being too hot or too cold, lack of sleep and constant distractions can make focus an elusive commodity: “You’ve got to let things play out…not getting too high, not getting too low… just focusing on the tasks ahead of you” is the motto according to Charlie Enright. In an era of identical boats, the winner might well be the team that holds together best. What is certain is that, over the nine months of this race, many new stories – from desolate to exhilarating – will be told. The sophisticated media links that now exist between boat and shore mean that the closest race ever may provide the rest of us at home with the most compelling viewing ever. For all concerned, a perfect storm awaits.

it’s a race where discomfort is the norm and the unexpected is constantly prowling. when it strikes, it can be breathtakingly beautiful or immeasurably cruel. far from the middle of the ocean, can we truly comprehend the highs and lows that play on the minds and bodies of volvo ocean race sailors? chuck culpepper went to find out more about why we call this ‘life at the extreme’

Lives well lived At four Olympics from Barcelona 1992 to Athens 2004, I had witnessed most everything from archery to wrestling, team handball to fencing and even to pelota, but never sailing. Somehow in the delirious, sleepless Olympic muddles I had missed entirely the seas. I had seen no dinghies. I had met no sailors. I had sustained obliviousness. On my occasional mental lists of the world’s toughest athletes, sailors would not have appeared not because I disrespected them, but because I never would have thought of them. Then, through the mercy of an excellent editor, I went burrowing in 2011 into something called the Volvo Ocean Race. 14

In the beginning of my stint among sailors, the technical jargon proved almost impossible to decipher. In the end, the technical jargon proved almost impossible to decipher. As I got going on my tutelage I sat in on a Saturday morning team meeting on the Portuguese coast and understood only about every fifth word, often a ‘the’ or an ‘and’ or one of the several variations of a word that begins with ‘f’. I think I pretty much grasped, say, ‘rig’.

A young physiotherapist explained how her mentor, a more experienced sailing physiotherapist, could determine which boat a sailor sailed and which job he held on that boat simply by watching him walk, his gait, his tilt. Here was a world of backs and shoulders and arms and wrists, all exceptionally strong and routinely compromised. All of this began to disabuse me of any half-baked notion that these guys aren’t athletes. Good grief, are these guys athletes.

extreme adversity

The race began from Spain in October 2011. In a first-night storm, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing came down off a wave and had its mast snap gruesomely in three places and crash into the Mediterranean. In full safety gear, a 30-year-old sailor, Wade Morgan, went barrelling out into the choppy sea to cut loose the sail. He reported zero fear as he enabled the sullen ride back through the night to port under motor. As the race wore on through Cape Town and Abu Dhabi toward the Chinese island of Sanya, the skippers told of the diabolical possibilities in the Strait of Malacca. How many sports have, as hindrances, these: unlit fishing boats, floating 20-foot trees, the occasional peddler of discounted cigarettes, errant cargo containers? In how many sports beyond sailing can your chances fizzle when you strike, say, a giant sea-creature? travelling rough

On a Saturday midnight in Auckland’s vast harbour, a large boat took a horde of media sorts out to greet the French team Groupama, when suddenly we spotted their lights in the distance. Here they came and, with them, an impossible, remarkable thought…

atlantic emergency

ultimate endurance

I did meet sailors. And sailors. And sailors. They told of a phantasmagorical ‘Southern Ocean,’ correcting my misconception from the world having four oceans to its recently acknowledged five. In this Southern Ocean, in the part of the world that starts to think about becoming Antarctica, you would encounter albatross, whales, sea birds. You might go around icebergs that seemed as if white skyscrapers. You might be cold for spiteful amounts of time. It could be fearsomely windy, not for the typical two days but perhaps for 10. Yet while that might daunt almost all of us, it left these people only exhilarated. One mighty Kiwi sailor named Craig Satterthwaite had spent a small chunk of his life in that Southern Ocean hanging from a boat and hanging on. He seemed blasé about that matter, and as in many daring sports, it seemed these people simply had to do this in life, as if their red blood cells might resemble little sails. They had visited an exhilaration most never find, and they had returned to tell of it with lively eyes.

I already knew these particular sailors could spend 20-odd days at sea with bland food, mean cold, staccato sleep shifts, no showers and, apparently, insufficient razors. And as my knowledge upgraded from nothing to next-to-nothing, the experience led me to read about the Dutch sailor Hans Horrevoets and the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race. Horrevoets, then 32, died in the middle of a malevolent night in the Atlantic Ocean, 1,300 nautical miles from the English coast, when his team’s boat nosedived into one of the 16-foot waves that had complicated the wee hours, even as his teammates went downstairs for their harnesses and he was moments from doing likewise. His teammates did find him in the ocean and attempted resuscitation, then sailed with his body toward the coast. Only they didn’t do just that. At one stage they turned around to rescue the harrowed crew of a critically damaged rival – the Spanish entry movistar. The possibility of death always hides out in the distant background, of course. Everybody knows it’s there. Nobody refers to it much. I began to see sailors as unusually tough.

While I had arrived by Korean Air via Seoul – excellent airline, service, food – the 11 guys on that boat over there had come from China, travelling 19 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes and 54 seconds, across 5,220 nautical miles (nearly 10,000 km), by sailboat. They had weathered some pretty ferocious Mother Nature concoctions just out of China. They had withstood a late-stage near-catastrophe when they took on fresh bow damage and a fresh flow of water pouring in. That race would continue around the growling stuff beneath South America, to Brazil, to Miami, across the Atlantic to Portugal. What it saw the very first night out of New Zealand would frighten most of us to heaps. When one of the sailors aboard the American boat got a dislocated shoulder on the way to Brazil, another sailor got it back into place through medical advice from telephone conversations to shore. And on and on and on, saga after adventurous saga, until I rate ocean sailors up there in the toughness clouds amongst NFL players, rugby players, boxers et al. Every three years, the start-gun fires the Volvo Ocean Race fleet off into the unknown. Aboard the competing boats are amazing people who tend to dismiss it if you note they’re amazing. On the horrible occasions when they die, at least you can say they very much have lived. (Chuck Culpepper is an American sports writer. This article has been condensed from a story that originally appeared on sportsonearth.com) 15

racing for ocean supremacy It’s a line-up that seasoned commentators are calling the most competitive ever. One thing is certain: in this race, no one can rely on a faster boat; Only the best team of sailors can win it

The one-design Volvo Ocean 65 means that seven determined teams leave Alicante on equal terms – in identical boats. From here, the only thing that counts is how well determination translates into speed over nine gruelling legs.

Data used for team infographics has been collated as follows:

Race CEO Knut Frostad has experienced the race, both as a crew-member and skipper. The former Olympian knows first-hand what makes it not just one of the most demanding events in sport, but one of the most rewarding: “The Volvo Ocean Race is incredibly long and hard. It’s about pushing yourself to the limit, night and day without a break. To do that, as part of a team of people, is just an amazing experience.” Sailing around the planet is still one of the world’s great adventures. But to do it at speed takes guts and determination of the kind rarely demanded on land. Speed is jeopardy – it demands that you only adapt to the conditions to avert the very worst, that you trust completely in the people around you and that you do whatever it takes to get the job done. It’s a test of seamanship, character and camaraderie that all professional sailors aspire to.

Big Race Experience Crew appearances in Volvo Ocean Race, Olympic Games, America’s Cup (Challenger Series and/or Match), Vendée Globe

With sailors of more than 15 nationalities on the startline, the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 boasts one of the most diverse ensembles in the race’s history. There’s plenty to cheer for, but beyond national borders, beyond winners and losers, each sailor’s personal struggle over nearly 39,000 nautical miles (75,000 km) promises a race within a race. For some, a childhood dream is about to leave Kansas; for others, it’s the chance to crown a career built on hundreds of thousands of bumpy miles. As individuals, their struggles and stories will inform and inspire us. To set the scene and introduce the players in this epic drama, Mark Chisnell and Riath Al-Samarrai profile the teams, skippers and crews who have chosen to live the next phase of their life at the extreme.

Big Race Wins Crew victories in Volvo Ocean Race, Olympic Games, America’s Cup, Vendée Globe

Training Days Elapsed time from boat delivery to race start

No guts. no glory.

The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the toughest races in the world. We have decided to challenge ourselves too. For every Volvo Ocean Race Stopover we will engage in a new challenge using our machines. Follow our progress round the world at volvooceanrace.volvoce.com

volvooceanraceabudhabi.com

ABU DHABI OCEAN RACING The emirate of Abu Dhabi made a huge splash in the last Volvo Ocean Race – contributing a sparkling stopover and the region’s first-ever professional offshore sailing campaign. This time, they’re back with a drive to win and the lessons of past experience to fuel them

Skipper: Ian Walker

“I’m counting on us having the best prepared and most experienced team.” Team skipper, Ian Walker, is positive his team has a mix of chemistry and continuity that gives them a crucial edge in this race.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing has a rare quality among the teams lining up in this race. They return with all the core components intact from their last attempt – skipper, sponsor and management are the same. Only the Spanish can point to similar stability. “I’m also counting on us having the most cohesive team on the water. We’re international, experienced, and we’re friends,” adds Walker. More than half the crew have been around the world with Walker before: helmsmen/trimmers Phil Harmer and Adil Khalid; navigator, Simon Fisher; and performance director, Neal McDonald have all been around once with their skipper. Bowman Justin Slattery is on his third lap with Walker.

It’s a tight group, they are unlikely to crack when the pressure is on, and they know about going round the world the hard way. “My first Volvo was all about trying to raise enough money to finish the race,” says Walker. “The last one was about dealing with huge challenges thrown in our way such as the broken mast [Leg 1)] structural failure [Leg 5] and a lack of speed [pretty much all the way round].” In the context of a boat race, those were calamitous events, but Walker’s men regrouped to emphatically win the transatlantic leg and there’s no doubt that Walker and his team know how to pull together when they are in trouble. “I am really proud of how we overcame all these challenges,” he says.

Walker is no stranger to extreme adversity. In 1997 he survived a car crash that claimed the life of his Olympic team-mate John Merricks. The pair were in their mid-twenties. Only a year previously they had won Olympic silver together. They were a great team; close friends, with complementary talents and temperaments. He regards the tragedy as fundamental to his leadership. “I am generally a very optimistic person,” he notes. “I am always grateful for what I have and where I am.” It’s a useful attribute to

call on when you’re deep in a Southern Ocean storm, even if it is one that has come at a terribly high price. Walker rebounded to win Olympic silver again in Sydney. It was a quite extraordinary performance, and it is probably no coincidence that the name of their yacht, Azzam, means ‘determination’. Determination got them round the world last time. This time there will be no place to hide if it doesn’t get them on the podium.

Ian Walker: The Determin-ator Ian Walker came into ocean sailing the hard way, learning on the job as a skipper in his very first crack at the Volvo Ocean Race.

“We’re international, experienced and we’re friends”

facebook.com/AbuDhabiOceanRacing

twitter.com/adorlog

instagram.com/adorlog

“There is very little normal about what we do in this race”

BIG RACE experience

average age

The two-time Olympic silver medallist is one of the most mild-mannered skippers in the sport, but has been increasingly consumed by a desire for success in big boats. Two fifth-place finishes have left him determined to complete the job he first set out to do in 2008. Now one of the race’s most experienced skippers, the Englishman knows the sacrifices needed to step up – working as hard on his own personal fitness as on ensuring the team around him has what it takes.

training days

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BIG RACE WINS

“The race still has a real sense of camaraderie and adventure” youtube.com/AbuDhabiOceanRacing

Left to Right: Chuny Bermúdez - ESP; Matt Knighton* - USA; Justin Slattery - IRL; Ian Walker - GBR; Simon Fisher - GBR; Phil Harmer - AUS; Adil Khalid - UAE; Daryl Wislang - NZL; Luke Parkinson - AUS *(Onboard Reporter)

Let the wind take you places your imag

Where the shore ends, adventure begins. Crystal shimmering waters whisper a language only the heart can interpret. A secret. A breeze. Set adrift on endless azure dreams. A liquid haven, where stories of the past write the verses to the future. And you think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen it all? Abu Dhabi. Travellers welcome.

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gination has not yet been.

Corniche â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dhow Sailing

What’s in your kitbag Adil Khalid? Every traveller knows the worst thing about going away is deciding what to pack and what to leave at home. But imagine you’re going away for 20 days or more, where everything will get wet on a daily basis and every little item is a drag on performance. In the Volvo Ocean Race, the price of excess baggage is speed. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Adil Khalid explains to Louay Habib the art of performance packing. Adil Khalid, we’re in Cowes and you’re about to board Azzam for your first race together in this new campaign. I see you have a lot of different types of clothing... You have to feel comfortable in any climate. We have a selection of different layers, gloves and boots designed to suit everything from the tropics to the Southern Ocean. Why is comfort so important? Racing on Azzam, there is constant spray on deck. Keeping as dry and comfortable as possible is an essential part of my performance. Without gloves and boots, your feet and hands can be badly affected – saltwater can really damage your skin. Working in a harsh environment, rashes and soreness from exposure to the elements can really affect your ability to work to your true potential. Well-designed technical clothing makes a big difference. You’re the only sailor from the Gulf region ever to take part in the race. I see you have a special item of headwear with you. The Gutrah is a very practical piece of equipment that has been used by Arab seafarers for thousands of years. By wetting the Gutrah, I can keep cool and keep my head out of the sun. It can also be used as a prayer mat, so the Gutrah has many uses and is a symbol of Emirati culture.

That’s really practical. What about the helmet? We normally imagine helmets in high-impact sports. In big waves, the water coming onto your face hits you like high-speed pebbles, you need to protect your eyes and sunglasses won’t be enough. Azzam is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots (55 km/h) and with water coming down the deck that fast, you need proper protection. Tell us about your knife... It was a present from my crewmate, Phil Harmer. It has a ceramic blade that always stays sharp. The loads on board a Volvo Ocean 65 are huge. If you get caught in the lines, you need a knife to cut yourself free. It is a dangerous environment and a knife can prevent serious injury. Two different pairs of sunglasses: why is that? I carry two pairs because it is easy to get them washed over the side or broken when it gets gnarly on board – a spare pair is a necessity. The Oakley Blades are practical for racing and the street model looks pretty cool, especially when you need to look your best. I often swap and change between the two, depending on my mood. On the practical side, sunglasses help with reading digital displays and the signs of wind on the waves.

“In big waves, the water coming onto your face hits you like high-speed pebbles” iPods seem to be fairly common even at sea these days. What do you listen to on board? I have some pop music but mainly traditional Arabic music and the Holy Koran. There are many Arabic songs about the sea and the elements, which help me to appreciate the conditions. Living on board, we speak English all day, Arabic music is my way of keeping in touch with my own language, it can be difficult for me to switch back to Arabic after a long offshore leg. Are sweets a special treat? Weight is kept to an absolute minimum on board so there are no chocolates but I love sweets! In the last race I was well known for carrying them for my team-mates. A little bit of comfort that is easy to put in

your pocket keeps us all going through a watch. The team has gone through an extensive nutritional and physical programme for this race and sweets were not part of that but a sugar hit at the right time can give you the energy you need. Once you leave port, you aren’t allowed to contact land except via the proper race channels. How do you cope with leaving your mobile behind? For me it’s fine. I don’t use a smart phone, so I have no pictures or other personal items on it. I am happy to switch off when we go offshore. Out there I am doing what I love and part of that is getting away from the world and focusing on the team and the ocean.

Designing for performance Few people have dedicated more time to the science of keeping sailors comfortable than Nigel Musto and his team at the clothing brand that bears his iconic surname. “Our first-ever ocean clothing was developed for Cornelis van Rietschoten’s Flyer,” explains Musto. Van Rietschoten was one of the race’s great legends, largely credited with transforming sailing into a professional sport. “He knew that however much he spent on building the boat, if the crew were too cold and wet to race it properly, Flyer wouldn’t win. We spent two years developing the world’s first three-layer system of clothing and Flyer won the 198182 race. Musto has been part of the round the world race ever since.” For Musto, the race is more than a stage for demonstrating their products; it’s a testing ground that no laboratory can replicate. “Every Volvo Ocean Race we get the opportunity to work with the best sailors in the world. An 18-month test programme: 20,000 miles during training and 40,000 miles during the race. It would take the average sailor 16 years to sail that many miles, so we get very good data in a short period of time.” For the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, four teams are wearing Musto kit and each of them is a source of new ideas for improving products: “We tell the sailors, when that annoying dribble comes down your neck, tell us about it, and we will improve it. Every sailor has ideas which we look at. The kit gets changed and tweaked all the way around the world, so by the time the race has finished we have designed and tested a new generation of our products. Already from this race, we are developing a new hood with more protection but better peripheral vision. Once we have got it right with the Volvo Ocean Race, it will be designed into our next generation.”

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dongfengraceteam.cn

DONGFENG RACE TEAM “We hope the Chinese nation will follow a Dongfeng Race Team story that is only just beginning…” Charles Caudrelier is clear about the goals he has for his team. For the French skipper and his men, it’s about much more than the result – it’s about capturing a nation’s imagination and building for the future

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Skipper: Charles Caudrelier

Following a landmark debut appearance by China in 2011, Dongfeng Race Team holds the key to shaping the profile of Chinese performance sailing. Highcalibre leadership and excellent preparation mean that they arrive at the start-line already well accustomed to adversity: “The challenges for our team began as soon as we started this project,” explains Caudrelier.

C harles C audrelier : The Teacher

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Another new face at the skipper press-calls, Caudrelier is the only one who has tasted victory in this race. The Frenchman was part of the Groupama 4 crew that took honours in 2012, where Caudrelier earned a reputation for his fast and fearless driving in bad weather. His famed toughness has been demonstrated by his triumphs in the gruelling physical and psychological challenges of solo and doublehanded sailing – where he has claimed major titles. A merchant navy officer by trade, Caudrelier, 40, knows that this race will test his completeness as a sailor. Already considered one of the most versatile and talented seamen in the world, he is well equipped to steer his multi-cultural crew on to great things.

facebook.com/DongfengRaceTeam

“There is a strong momentum to create a legacy for offshore sailing so that Chinese sailors can excel in this discipline, in the same way that the Chinese Olympic sailors have done,” he adds. China has won sailing gold in both of the last two Games, so this is a serious aspiration. Big-boat, offshore sailing is the next step forward and Caudrelier’s hope is to lay a platform that can put the nation on a path to a fully Chinese entry within the next two races.

“The challenges for our team began as soon as we started this project” This is the first time that a boat has competed with a posse of Chinese sailors aboard. Together, the six homegrown squad members have scaled a steep learning curve to earn their places

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on the team. Caudrelier is cautiously optimistic: “They have improved an incredible amount but they still haven’t really experienced the sort of pressure a competitive race can bring.” They are young, keen and charismatic but, at home, the Chinese debutants face an uphill road to acceptance. By contrast, their French and Swedish crewmates come from places where professional sailing isn’t just respectable, it’s highly regarded. Caudrelier comments: “My family are supportive, I’m lucky... but if you look at Kit, he doesn’t have the support of his family. He’s here fighting to take part in one of the toughest offshore races in the world and his family want him to be a lawyer and get a ‘real job’ and ‘settle down’.” We can only hope that when it’s all over, Kit’s family will understand what he has achieved – not just personally, but for Chinese sailing.

youtube.com/DongfengTeam

Opposite, left to right: Charles Caudrelier - FRA; Liu Ming (Leo) - CHN; Pascal Bidégorry - FRA; Yang Jiru (Wolf) - CHN Top row, left to right: Eric Peron - FRA; Chen Jin Hao (Horace) - CHN; Chencheng Kong (Kong) - CHN; Martin Strömberg - SWE; Bottom row, left to right: Thomas Rouxel - FRA; Kevin Escoffier - FRA: Cheng Ying Kit (Kit) - CHN; Liu Xue (Black) - CHN; Yann Riou (Onboard reporter) - FRA

“What is important for us is to bring something to the table in terms of ecology, team spirit and maybe, if we are good, helping people to dream”

In 2011-12, Teng Jiang He (Tiger) opened a new chapter in international sailing when he became the race’s first-ever Chinese entrant. By the time he arrived in Sanya at the end of Leg 4, he was a hero. It’s a mood Caudrelier is eager to recapture in this edition: “For our Chinese crew to arrive in their own country will be something incredible.” Their plans for a legacy makes Dongfeng’s campaign a special one. Caudrelier has chosen his team meticulously, and he believes that it’s

what makes his team different. “There are no personality boxes to tick when choosing your team. It’s about the skipper and the skipper’s choices and his instinct towards each sailor.” Caudrelier has worked hard to find all-rounders who can cope with the demands of a high-powered boat. “They are not just a handful of the best sailors I could find, they are more than that. They understand the sporting mission of our team. They understand the importance of competition because it’s in their

BIG RACE average experience age

instagram.com/DongfengRaceTeam

blood. But at the same time, when the whole team is together there is a silent determination and I believe that’s what characterises us: spirit.” For the men of Dongfeng, it may be that the taking part and learning will be as important as winning – but not for long. They’ve achieved gold at the Olympics, and who would bet against a Chinese winner of the Volvo Ocean Race in the next decade? The journey begins in earnest here.

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Cheng Ying Kit

Donfeng Race Team

He understands the saying ‘you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family’. And against his parent’s best wishes, Cheng Ying Kit has spent his entire adult life searching for a job that offers meaning over stability. He may have finally found it. a compulsory safety-at-sea course is a chance for the crew of Dongfeng Race Team to refresh essential skills and deepen team bonds. Invited to join them, Sam Greenfield met WITH a freshman sailor who will be leaning on his crewmates for more support than usual

“In Chinese, my parents always keep telling me ‘Stop playing!’.” A firefighter closes the heavy door to the metallic, burn tower behind Kit and everything goes black. “Maybe at the beginning of this year, I told them I joined a Chinese team to do some offshore sailing. And basically they have no idea about offshore sailing.” The Hong Kong native finds it easier to talk 9,500 km from home. “They think sailing is not serious. Not something you can make money and support yourself with. They’re quite worried about it.” He pauses: “They will not feel very comfortable if I keep going this way.”

“Stable jobs aren’t bad. If you get a government job, you can work for them forever until you die.” He smiles: “I mean, until retirement…” He is always cracking jokes in multiple languages...“but it’s not good for me.” For five years he worked in construction in Hong Kong, eventually rising to project manager. “It was too boring,” says Kit, who is no fan of air conditioning. He found work in a shipyard, again climbing his way up to a stable managerial position with the help of his excellent English skills.

Sailors are like all other great adventurers: they have a unique ability to find stability in unstable places The scorched hallway is filled with fake smoke, but the collar of his overcoat smells like the real thing. The heavy aroma transports him back 13 years. “When I was 20 I applied to be a firefighter in Hong Kong. I did all the tests and everything, and my parents were okay with it because it was government. They think it’s stable,” he says. “But they didn’t pick me.” Kit is 33 now, and unlike the black training tower he entered at age 20, he walks out of this one a member of a team. Dongfeng Race Team’s sailors and shore crew have become Kit’s new family. They even eat every meal together. He’s not sure if his own will make it to the stopovers. “I grew up in a very basic family, and my father and mother... they didn’t have good educations, so that’s why they’re quite conservative.” Kit was 14 when he discovered a weekend sailing programme close to home that took him in. His parents didn’t take offence to his new passion until his grades started slipping. Since then, sailing has always been a distraction – in their eyes.

But it wasn’t long before his love for sailing inspired him to abandon a job that his parents respected. “I decided I needed to do something outdoors, because when I’m outdoors, I have more energy. When you’re sitting in the office you feel tired.” In 2011 he was offered a spot on Team China to sail in the America’s Cup World Series. But the money ran out and it seemed his sailing dream would collapse. Then, Dongfeng Race Team put out a call for Chinese crew trialists… “I think it’s important to chase a dream when we’re young.” Sailors are like all other great adventurers: they have a unique ability to find stability in unstable places. Kit is happy. “Stability means, for me…I’m finished. I’ll be stable all the time and until the end of my life if I get a stable job now. So that’s why I have to do this now. If I don’t, time will fly and when it’s over it’s over.” For now, his parents’ dreams can wait.

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MAPFRE With six boats over the last decade, Spain has shown more determination than any other nation to win ocean racing’s premier trophy. Only one Spanish sailor – Juan Vila in 2001-02 – has ever tasted victory. It’s a blip that Iker Martínez and Xabi Fernández are keen to rectify.

Skipper: Iker Martínez

“The two Olympic medals I’ve won with Iker in the 49er class are the biggest achievement for the moment,” says Xabi Fernández of his sailing career.

All the World and European titles, Olympic gold and silver medals ought to be enough glory for most – even those as gifted in a boat as Fernández and his skipper Iker Martínez. “They were good years and always at a super-high level of performance.” But the Spanish pair dominated the opening stages of the last Volvo Ocean Race, and they know that they could – and should – have claimed an outstanding offshore victory to add to their inshore trophies. Instead, they ended up with a bitterly disappointing fourth place.

“I think we will be able to push a bit harder than in the last editions with the big sails, which will mean the possibility of breaking sails... or people” Martínez and Fernández were born just a few months apart in the north-eastern Spanish province of Guipúzcoa. Their paths crossed regularly in junior sailing, but it wasn’t until they were in their early twenties that they joined forces in the Olympic 49er class – a boat in which they dominated for almost two Olympiads.

The pair are both married, and both have two children. They joke that Fernández’s youngest and Martínez’s oldest were both a by-product of the same extraordinary sequence of events. It was the 2008-09 race and Telefónica Blue had hit a rock just after starting in Marstrand, only days before going on to win the final in-port race in Stockholm. The two children were born within two days of each other – nine months later in March 2010!

It was their first full Volvo Ocean Race – both had sailed parts of the 200506 edition. Now they are about to go around the world yet again. Fernández admits that the race is hard on wives and children: “This life is not easy for the families, for sure… stopovers are far away and very short, so they cannot travel and we cannot come back home, because we have to rest. With the kids everything is harder.” Family will not be the only thing that they have to put aside this time: they must not be haunted by the underachievement of the 2011-12 race. Telefónica scorched out of the gate with three leg wins. They continued strongly to Brazil, but then their performances started to slip. The end came brutally quickly in an Atlantic storm as they pushed to hold onto the lead in Leg 8. “We broke two rudders getting into Lorient. That was pretty extreme,” reflects Fernández.

The eventual fourth place failed to improve on their 2008-09 result and it was a sad end to a race that many expected them to win at the halfway mark. In spite of it all, Fernández still counts the race as his best. “I think the best memories I have are from the last race, when we had a super wellprepared team and things went well, even taking into account that at the end we had some very tough moments.”

“Last time they came fourth in a race they were hotly picked to win: “We broke two rudders getting into Lorient. That was pretty extreme” Martínez and Fernández must hold onto the good memories and forget about the bad if they are to add the same Olympic lustre to their ocean racing careers. All eyes will be watching to see if the golden boys of Spanish sailing can finally be just that in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Iker Martínez: The natural Ever since the age of 16, Iker Martínez has become used to winning pretty much everything he has set his mind on. But the Volvo Ocean Race trophy has remained elusive. Together with sailing partner, Xabi Fernández, the 2011 World Sailor of the Year boasts a sequence of world titles and Olympic medals rivalled by few this century. It surprised many when, in 2005 and at the peak of their powers in the high-speed 49er class, the Spanish stars revealed their ambitions to branch out into big-boat ocean sailing. Still only 37, this is already Martínez’s fourth Volvo Ocean Race campaign – his second as skipper. The frustrating fourth-placing in 2011-12 is sure to have taught him the importance of lasting the full distance. For this campaign, a short preparation time will not ruffle the laid-back Basque. He will know that the one-design Volvo Ocean 65 offers the perfect platform for their natural brand of tactical sailing and the best chance of ensuring that the Volvo Ocean Race Trophy stays in Spain this time.

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Left to Right & Top to Bottom: Carlos Hernández - ESP; André Fonseca - BRA; Sam Goodchild - GBR; Francisco Vignale* - ARG; Rafa Trujillo - ESP; Nicolas Lunven - FRA; Antonio Cuervas-Mons - ESP; Xabi Fernández - ESP; Anthony Marchand - FRA; Iker Martínez - ESP; Michel Desjoyeaux - FRA *(Onboard Reporter)

Married to the challenge BEHIND THE EXTREME SACRIFICES EVERY SAILOR MAKES TO MAXIMIZE HIS OR HER RACE PERFORMANCE, IT’S EASY TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE SEA-CHANGE THAT ABSENCE AND DANGER IMPOSE ON FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND. KATE LAVEN FINDS OUT MORE ABOUT THE RACE’S UNSEEN PERSONAL TOLL AND HOW FAMILIES COPE WITH IT.

When Barbara Besalduch’s eight month-old son Joan had to be rushed to hospital after suffering an extreme allergic reaction, the last thing on her mind, bizarrely, was to share the ordeal with her husband.

Iker Martínez was at sea again, in a race bubble and oblivious to anything other than getting to the finish line faster. Barbara had been with him for a few years and knew his ability to ‘disconnect’ in the heat of competition. “It was an emergency but I was lucky because I had my family around me,” says the mother of two young boys and wife of seven years to the MAPFRE skipper. “We were in hospital for two days but I waited until everything had settled down, then called the boat to tell him what had happened. It was difficult but whether he’s home or away, I have to get on with our lives.” Her resourcefulness and self-reliance is typical for partners of ocean sailors. Single-minded focus is essential to competing at the top level of any sport; but in the Volvo Ocean Race, disconnection can be a state that needs to be preserved for weeks – even months – at a time. In recent years, women have been the ones called on most to keep home fires burning. But for this edition, a handful of men – fathers of children born to Team SCA crewmembers – also need to adapt.

Experts claim that women find it harder to ‘disconnect’ than men, but Abby Ehler admits that even though separation from Tom and Harley will leave a big hole in her life, the relentless need for speed will be foremost on her mind: “Things are really intense on these boats,” she says.

“The other mums at the mother-toddler groups think I’m absolutely bonkers. When times are tough I sometimes wonder too…but the reality is we are not playing golf for a month and a and walking off the course at the fine, yet if I want to end of 18 holes.”

“If he leaves half they are go out for dinner, they say ‘don’t go Mummy!’. It’s not really fair but we’re all okay with it”

Tom Ehler, husband of Team SCA’s Abby Ehler and father to four year-old old Harley, is travelling with the race as its Chief Course Marshal. While Abby is at sea, he decided to relocate to the country he grew up in. “There will be moments, especially when Harley gets sick, that I will need Abby but that is the reason why I chose Germany,” he explains. “My mum is there and my sister has two children who are slightly older than Harley, so I won’t be on my own.”

Then there is the question of the race’s dangers and how partners cope with them. GerdJan Poortman on Team Brunel has two young boys. His partner Evelyn came uncomfortably close to dealing with catastrophe in the 2005-06 race when Gerd-Jan’s crewmate, Hans Horrevoets, tragically drowned. “We are very clear about that,” says Poortman: “It was an accident and accidents happen. Evelyn knows I take really good care.” Poortman is philosophical about the drain the race places on families but insists they have come into this event with eyes open and fully mindful of the benefits as well as the risks. “The best thing is we get to travel the world and the kids have great fun. The worst thing is that you miss some important moments in the children’s development. That is very tough but if you dwell on it too much, you will go crazy.”

Together For families dedicated to the Volvo Ocean Race, separation is unavoidable. But Rachel Aslet-Clark explains that while forced separation can pile stress on relationships, it is rarely a root cause of them breaking down. Aslet-Clark is a relationships expert based in Portsmouth, UK where naval deployments make for especially complicated lives. “The important thing is to seek help and support during a separation and realise everyone may need a bit of TLC when they come back,” she explains. “We often call it ‘together apart’.” Recognising that all relationships have cycles can go a long way towards keeping bonds strong – even when communication is difficult and pressures are intense. “Relationships in all forms are hard but add children and separation into the equation and you have to work harder.” Her advice is simple: “Don’t be critical of yourself. Don’t think that just because someone is not physically there, you are alone. And remember children are resilient: providing there is normality in their routine, the impact of a mother’s or father’s absence can be minimised.”

“Don’t think that just because someone is not physically there, you are alone” Keeping things normal and managing expectations would be the two most important chapters in any A-Z manual of how to avoid relationship meltdown. It’s a case of accepting the discomforts that are an intrinsic part of the lifestyle and focusing more on developing mechanisms to deal with the unforeseen issues that more commonly bring partnerships to crisis point. “For most people in sailing, the lifestyle choice is usually a conscious one. Money and health problems can create additional pressures, so it is important to develop coping strategies and understand expectations.”

apart

teamsca.com

Team SCA The blueprints for the brand new Volvo Ocean 65 class were barely dry when Team SCA proclaimed themselves ready to take on the challenge of the Volvo Ocean Race. Confined to the side-lines for far too long, here is a group of sailors who may yet revolutionise sailing and the way it is followed

Skipper: Sam Davies

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not one of us has competed in any of the last three Volvo Ocean Races!â&#x20AC;? Sam Davies would have you believe that this is the crucial difference between the Team SCA and the competition.

BIG RACE average training BIG RACE experience age days WINS

The crew of SCA also happen to be the only all-female team in the race – the first to be seen on the world’s biggest racetrack since Amer Sports Too in 2001-02. Their claims of inexperience in the Volvo Ocean Race itself may be true but that’s certainly not the whole story. They’re hardly unprepared for the challenges ahead. When the Volvo Open 70 class was introduced for the 2005-06 race, the tremendous physical demands of the boat turned the Volvo Ocean Race into a male preserve. This is one aspect of the 70’s passing that

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no-one is mourning. The Volvo Ocean 65 has enabled the women to return, restoring a key component of the race’s DNA.

sometimes good as ‘Papy and Mamie’ can come and bring their ‘house’ to where we are based and help look after Ruben, our son,” she explains.

Of course the women never really went away, they just did other things – like sailing solo around the world in the Vendée Globe. Sam Davies has done just that (finishing fourth), and is a good example of the women that make up Team SCA.

Her first professional sailing gig was a round - the - world record attempt in 1998 with none other than Tracy Edwards – sailing’s Amelia Earhart and pioneer of women’s sailing in this race. Davies recalls her high-octane debut: “I was bowman, so spent a lot of time up the mast and out on the boom on this crazy 92-foot catamaran.”

Davies has salt-water blood, with one grandfather a submarine commander at the age of 26, the other was a powerboat racer and boat builder. Her parents live on a boat, “which is

Despite all the solo miles she has sailed since that trip – including losing a mast in an Atlantic storm

– that experience set a benchmark. “Some of my Southern Ocean scary moments come from that trip. Most of them include a mast climb and huge waves - the most extreme sailing I have ever done!” she explains. Her debut appearance in the Volvo Ocean Race may mean all that is about to change.

“This is racing and endurance but also adventure…we get to go places and discover things that nobody can even pay to go and do” Don’t let them kid you that there’s a lack of experience on board. The boat is loaded with stars from every sailing arena – including veterans from the 2001-02 crew. In the lead-up to this race, Team SCA have been sailing the new Volvo Ocean 65 far longer than anyone else. They enjoy

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advantage in numbers too, with 11 crew allowed on board – that’s three more sets of eyes, ears and arms than the men. The team’s management have brought two previous winners to the finish line. Their coaching and support staff include three-time winner Brad Jackson, and – until his untimely death in 2013 – Swedish legend Magnus Olsson. “This is a great opportunity for women’s sailing and it is the right time to do it with the change in the Volvo Ocean Race Rule,“ concludes Davies. “I really believe we have the opportunity to achieve some amazing results in this race.” Team SCA bring that belief and their exceedingly good preparation to a boat that has been designed to work as well for women as for men. They have a point to prove. And as the only female team, they can expect more support than anyone. Watch out world. From top row, left to right: Sara Hastreiter - USA; Annie Lush - GBR; Liz Wardley - AUS; Sophie Ciszek - AUS/USA; Corinna Halloran (Onboard reporter) - USA; Libby Greenhalgh - GBR; Stacey Jackson - AUS; Sam Davies - GBR; Carolijn Brouwer - NED; Abby Ehler - GBR; Elodie-Jane Mettraux- SUI Opposite page: Justine Mettraux - SUI; Dee Caffari - GBR

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Home on the Roaring 40s 48

ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH MOUNTAIN RANGES KNOWS THE MOST EXCITING TRAILS OFTEN LIE OFF-PISTE. LIFE IS THE SAME – A CHANCE EVENT CAN BE A WAYPOINT TO NEW CHALLENGES. ONE SAILOR HAS BEATEN GEOGRAPHY AND GENDER TO EARN HER PLACE IN THE TOUGHEST SAILING CHALLENGE OF THEM ALL. DAVID SCHMIDT MEETS TEAM SCA’S SARA HASTREITER

In only a few short years, the backdrop of mountains that defined Sara Hastreiter’s early life has morphed into mountainous seas. Few world-class sailors hail from the middle of Wyoming – a state famous for cowboys, bears and skiing, not saltwater. Yet this trick of topography didn’t deter Hastreiter from following her heart offshore. Her first exposure to ocean sailing only came in 2008, when Hastreiter befriended some transatlantic sailors in the Caribbean. An infectious possibility took root: “I started thinking about crossing an ocean,” she recalls. “It’s a dangerous and daring thing to do, and I put it on my list.” She cajoled her way onto a boat for the 2010 ARC – an event that would prove irreversibly life-altering.

“Most people think I’m nuts – they don’t understand” The Wyomingite set her sights on Newport, Rhode Island, determined to prove herself in the town’s vibrant sailing scene. No one cared that she raised pigs as a kid, but breaking into the scene was tough. “It wasn’t about where I was from, but it was the fact that I was a girl that was hard. [Owners and crew bosses] don’t know where you’re from – only that you’re a girl and they don’t race with girls.” Underdogs strive harder than heavyweights. Only 25 and 3,000 km from home, Hastreiter sidelined her social life to chase down any opportunity to hone her skills – and earn a living – with boat deliveries. “There were no weekends in Newport; weekends were meant for sailing. I never got to the beach once the whole time I was there!” Regattas and a coveted spot aboard a Class 40 followed. “They didn’t take me seriously until they saw my commitment level.” Just as she was contemplating her own Class 40 campaign, Team SCA issued a crew callout: a women’s team was to contest the Volvo Ocean Race. Hastreiter, 1.82 metres tall and athletically gifted, answered. An initial try-out was encouraging, but it also revealed shortcomings – to be expected from someone still fresh to the sport. Hastreiter learned sailing’s technical side fast, and a childhood spent camping, hunting and fishing gave her confidence to contemplate life at the extreme: “The roughing-it aspects – eating basic meals and giving up personal comforts to enjoy nature – apply

Course-changers

“It’s about showing drive and commitment” directly.” But more work was needed: “I spent the next six months either working out in the gym or sailing offshore,” she says. When her selection on Team SCA’s roster was confirmed, she had seized an opportunity that many who spend a lifetime in boats never attain. So how have her fellow Wyomingites reacted to her new job? “Most people think I’m nuts – they don’t understand,” says Hastreiter. She explains that the biggest difference between home and Team SCA is the team’s diversity: “If someone came to Team SCA from Wyoming, they wouldn’t understand 80 per cent of the accents.” As for how her teammates feel about her exotic, Cowboy State origins: “The SCA shore crew gives me crap about wanting to be a rodeo beauty queen when I was a kid.” The hard work and ordeals that lie ahead are clear. On the prospects of injury, Hastreiter is forthright: “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when?’ and ‘how bad?’; I don’t want anything bad to happen to me, or to anyone else!” She’s self-assured and doesn’t suffer from seasickness but knows: “There’s lots of potential to get hurt.” Man-overboard scenarios remain her greatest fear. “I sometimes think about the fact that a group of sailors – oftentimes strangers – are in a space with such a small amount of material between them and the bottom of the ocean.” Her rise in the pro-sailing world has been meteoric. Only 30, Hastreiter is clear that hard work and sacrifice are the keys to success. She credits both her family and her Wyoming roots for her work ethic: “The world owes you nothing, but it’s available to you if you work for it.” Both her parents are proud of her efforts. Her mother – who

“They’re not trying to make us into a team that can sail around the world. They want us to race competitively around the world” became Wyoming’s first female U.S. Marshall without a high-school diploma – is especially supportive. “They know how badly I want to be a part of this team.”

Most top athletes start their path to the winner’s podium early, often under the guidance of their parents. But Sara Hastreiter’s fast rise through the ranks of offshore sailing shows how determination and transferable skills can provide a platform for a late career. We look back at other champion athletes who had the tenacity and self-belief to go from lastin-class to world-class. American boxer Sonny Liston didn’t start slugging until his early 20s, at the urging of Missouri State Penitentiary’s athletic director. Liston was paroled on Halloween of 1952 and, by June of 1953, had won the International Golden Gloves. Ten years later, he was crowned World Heavyweight Champion. Fellow boxer George Foreman was 17 when his supervisor noticed his wrecking-ball power during a job-site brawl. Just two years later, Foreman took heavyweight gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, going on to become one of the sport’s all-time greats. Late starts aren’t limited to pugilists. Austrian skier Hermann Maier first clicked into skis young. But growth impediments meant he was overlooked while other young skiers were being groomed for big futures. Aged 23, he made his World Cup debut in 1996, finishing 23rd. A year later, the ‘Herminator’ won his first World Cup, followed by two gold medals at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. A near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2001 almost ended his career, but Maier made a full recovery to win a total of 54 World Cup victories, including four championships. Post-career, his successes have included a role as mental coach for FIFA World Cup champions, Germany. While these accomplishments are certainly heady, nothing tops the story of BritishIndian runner Fauja Singh, who raced his first marathon in 2000 at the not-so-tender age of 89. The “Turbaned Tornado” competed in eight more marathons, posting a personalbest time of five hours, 40 minutes, which he delivered at the 2003 Toronto Marathon.

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Team BRUNEL Few nations have left a bigger mark on this race than the Netherlands. Since 1973, more Dutch boats have won it than any other nation. This time, they return – fully prepared and led by a skipper who has made the race his life’s work

Skipper: Bouwe Bekking

“I think that not winning would be horrible,” says Team Brunel navigator, Andrew Cape, when asked what he’s most afraid of. Never mind the icebergs, rogue waves or a random, half-submerged shipping container with his name on it. It’s all about winning.

Cape has five Volvo Ocean Races behind him, without doing just that. His skipper, Bouwe Bekking hasn’t won it yet either, and this is his seventh time around. Between them, they have experienced the very worst that the race has to offer, but are yet to taste the best – holding the Volvo Ocean Race trophy aloft and seeing their names alongside the greats. Team Brunel arrives at the start-line with a hefty cargo of unfinished business. Few in this game have witnessed worse than the ensemble aboard the Dutch boat. “There have been many painful moments. There have been boats sunk and bad results,” he continues. Cape, 52 at the start of the race and Bekking. 51, were racing together aboard movistar in one of the darkest weeks in the race’s history; their collaboration ended abruptly with both being plucked from their sinking boat, narrowly escaping the full fury of an Atlantic storm in the 2005-06 race. Young team debutants like Louis Balcaen and Rokas Milevicius were still in romper suits when their leaders were already into their sailing careers. They

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know the intensity of sailing at the highest level, but lack exposure to the high drama of big-boat ocean sailing. They will be wise to take heed of crewmate Gerd-Jan Poortman’s story, now sailing his third race. On debut, the Dutch veteran badly hurt his back after being brutally slammed by a wave – but it was followed by much worse. “Losing my friend Hans Horrevoets in 2006 was the most painful moment of my career.” It was an event that still reverberates strongly within Poortman and throughout the race. ”I wasn’t on the boat at the time, due to my injury. That was a hard period.” Together and apart, Team Brunel have been through it all. Bekking and Cape are both the wrong side of 50 and no one is more aware of the physical toll that these new boats demand from ageing bodies. Many severe tests are bound to lie in store in the miles ahead. Cape is philosophical: “Everything is great. It couldn’t be otherwise because you’ve chosen a total package that also includes things that aren’t quite as good.”

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Bouwe Bekking: The Big Cheese

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Top row, left to right: Jens Dolmer - DEN; Andrew Cape - AUS; Gerd-Jan Poortman - NED; Louis Balcaen - BEL; Pablo Arrarte - ESP; Laurent Pagès - FRA; Bouwe Bekking - NED Bottom row Rokas Milevicius - LTU; Stefan Coppers (Onboard reporter) - NED

They come into this race with a rare swagger, confident that this is the moment their lives have prepared them for. Few teams wear the scars or embody the spirit of this race better than this crew. But there are no prizes for spirit. Will Bekking’s men finally get the win that has proved so elusive? No one doubts that they know how. The core of the team has been together since taking delivery of the boat in February. Training time, talent and money have been at their disposal. Bekking has re-signed France’s Laurent Pagès to his crew; Pagès made his race debut with Bekking in 2008, and won the last race aboard Groupama 4. Bekking and Cape will surely be hoping that a little of the Frenchman’s talismanic sparkle will rub off on them. Besides six other racehardened crews, few would begrudge them what they crave most. Victory.

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The race’s most experienced sailor has seen it all – except the view from the top of the final podium. In the 30 years since Bouwe Bekking’s debut in this race, he has taken his share of hard knocks and not always against his will. He once admitted, “When it gets nasty and horrible at sea, that is when you find the greatest challenge.” He’s a tough, old-school leader known for his outspoken manner. Bekking comes into this race with a strong crew made up of trusted men and international stars. His rare absence from the start-line of the last race will only sharpen his determination to get the job done. The Dutchman’s desire to crown his life’s work with a win in Gothenburg may provide his rivals with one of their most formidable obstacles yet.

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TEAM ALVIMEDICA The new, one-design Volvo Ocean 65 threatens to shatter conventional wisdom on what it takes to win this race. With a young, fit crew and a modern management style, Team Alvimedica may be the team holding the biggest hammer

Skipper: Charlie Enright

“The Volvo Ocean Race is a complex event that is not won simply by sailing smart and fast,” argues skipper and co-founding partner Charlie Enright. “It’s an endurance test.”

Fit young men ought to have an edge in an endurance test, but only if they mobilise their energy behind smart decisions. This is a sport that rewards experience; the race has seen few winning skippers under 40, and only one under 30. Team Alvimedica’s cofounder and skipper, Charlie Enright crosses the start line of this race barely a month out of his twenties. “We are a young team with a fresh approach,” says Mark Towill, Enright’s co-founding partner. He’s not exaggerating – all but one of the crew are within spitting distance of their 30th birthday (the notable exception

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Left to Right: Will Oxley - AUS; Alberto Bolzan - ITA; Sebastien Marsset - FRA; Ryan Houston - NZL Amory Ross – USA (Onboard Reporter); Charlie Enright - USA; Dave Swete - NZL; Mark Towill - USA; Nick Dana - USA

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is 49 year-old Aussie navigator Will Oxley). Their recruitment policy was deliberately skewed towards youth. So much for youth and endurance, what’s the fresh approach? Both Enright and Towill are business and economics graduates of the Ivy League’s Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. These are smart guys.

“We have a commitment to looking after the health and well-being of the crew so that we can win what is very much an endurance race”

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It’s a trait that showed itself frequently in the race preparation phase. At an age when other young graduates are still working out their lives, Enright and Towill formed their own racing company. By teaming up Alvimedica – a young medical devices company headquartered in Turkey – they found a synergy of vision and capability well beyond the usual team/title sponsor relationship. “We will work hard to ensure we monitor and maintain the crew’s health and fitness throughout this physically challenging race,” explains Enright. Alvimedica’s deep commitment to cardiology technology sees the team placing an abnormally high emphasis on the very best sports

medicine expertise and support. Insights such as the effect of stress on crew metabolisms are being used by a leading sports science team to optimise their training, nutrition and recovery. It’s a focus they hope will help them break new ground in the art of performing on the toughest stage in sailing.

the deep end while still at school. Towill and Enright are both alumni of Morning Light: Roy Disney’s 2008 movie project that took a group of young sailors, trained them over six months to race from Los Angeles to Hawaii and filmed them along the way.

Ask Towill, only 25, what they need to perform at this level and you get a very level-headed reply: “It’s the ability to manage all of the aspects beyond just the sailing that make a campaign like this a reality,” he says.

The pair has worked intelligently to lever that high-profile debut into their own Volvo Ocean Race team in under six years. Meticulous planners, they have worked hard to overcome their deficit in experience. “We learned early that preparation is critical,” Towill explains.

Such are the lessons absorbed when your CV includes being thrown in at

Their training and recruitment has been thorough and even-paced.

“We have tried to soak up all we can through our mentoring programme with race veterans such as Paul Cayard, Stu Bannatyne and Ken Read,” says Towill. Deep roots in the Rhode Island sailing scene means they will not lack for experienced advice and support. The youngest skipper to win this race was Lionel Péan in 1986, aged 29. Tellingly, he achieved his feat on a boat only slightly smaller than a Volvo Ocean 65 and with a crew of only eight. You can be sure Enright and Towill have read up on their history.

Charlie Enright: Fast learner Aged only 30, Charlie Enright is the youngest skipper to start this race in the last 20 years. He’s out to prove he can rub shoulders with the biggest names in offshore yacht racing.

“We have tried to soak up all we can through our mentoring programme with race veterans”

Enright first came to attention as a star of Morning Light, Disney’s 2008 documentary movie about a sailing crew preparing for the race of their young lives. He has since built his team for this event from scratch. The Rhode Island native graduated from Brown University with a degree in business economics and an enviable college sailing pedigree. In his career as professional sailor, he has raced across the Atlantic and placed third in the Rolex Fastnet Race. He faces a huge challenge at the helm of a young crew, but knows precisely the stakes.

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Sailors in the Volvo Ocean Race often manage two careers in parallel. A seasonal sport with limited vacancies at the top level means skills like boatbuilding or sail-making are often vital for paying bills and staying in form. Team Alvimedica’s navigator is a different package altogether, as Marty Free finds out.

Sea of Science For Will Oxley, lifelong passions for sailing and marine biology have enabled him to develop a unique skillset. “The two are very complementary,” he says. “The reality now is, as a yachtsman, I do more science than I did as a senior scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.”

“Even in a life and death situation, you have a few seconds or a minute or two to take in the aura of the weather and the ocean and how incredible it is.”

Oxley is hunched over the navigation station aboard Alvimedica 4 – a place he’ll be spending most of the next nine-plus months. It’s cramped and dim under the cockpit; better to see the cluster of laptops and screens in front of him. It’s not the place you ideally want to be on a warm sunny day in Southampton, much less a cold wet night in the Southern Ocean. The lean 49 year-old Australian caught the bug at a young age and has been passionate about it ever since: “I always sailed. The family sailed, so I was sailing before I was out of nappies,” he says without a hint of hubris. He knew early on that whatever the future held for him, the ocean was his destiny. Its calling has been one he has never regretted following.

Focused and tenacious, he was smart enough at 14 to write to James Cook University for advice on how to mastermind a career that would keep him close to the ocean. At 18, he paid for his first computer for marine studies by delivering a yacht up the east coast of Australia to Townsville. After graduating, Oxley juggled science and sailing contracts before landing a break helming Compaq around the world in the 2000/1 BT Global Challenge. From experience comes knowledge. With 240,000 nm (440,000 km) of ocean racing behind him, the tworace veteran remains driven by an unquenchable thirst for both. Like many bluewater sailors, Oxley’s profound love for the ocean is tempered by mistrust. It’s an uneasy affair. First rule: never turn your back. Oxley acknowledges the risks are high but is stoically upbeat.

“Even in the worst conditions there is something amazing and awe-inspiring about what we’re doing…not many people get a chance to experience that...” he explains, laughing as the realisation hits him: “...Not many people want to.” Danger, discomfort and months of freeze-dried food can be a turn-off. Asked to define the character type best suited to open ocean sailing, Oxley expresses admiration for extreme mountaineers and sees clear parallels: “The sport of ocean yacht racing takes you to a place that you wouldn’t otherwise go. You are taken right to the edge physically and mentally and there’s something very appealing about that.” For this race, Oxley is ‘Dad’ to a skipper and crew of 30-something sailors, many of them race freshmen.

“It’s a big plus that the young guys are NOT allowed to bring their smart phones on board!” he jokes, before pointing out that it’s all about having the right people in the right roles: “It’s not unusual for me, especially as a navigator. Experience is the key, not age. Learning to pace yourself in a long ocean race is something that comes with experience.” What draws these elite sailors together is an innate need to challenge the elements, themselves and the competition: “Everyone respects each other and what they bring to the team.” He admits to enjoying the freedom to focus on a race without the intrusions and distractions of life ashore. “Even in a life and death situation, you have a few seconds or a minute or two to take in the aura of the weather and the ocean and how incredible it is.”

When Team Alvimedica’s navigator talks about climate change, he makes a compelling case. “There is real potential to make a change but when governments stick their head in the sand we really are going backward.” The steel-blue eyes behind his glasses take on intensity when he speaks about marine ecology: “My speciality is, or was, a coral reef ecologist.” Will Oxley is a passionate environmentalist and is riled by governmental apathy and public ignorance. “For many years Australia was leading the world, but now we are going backwards and that’s really disappointing as an Australian.” The race provides him with the ultimate field-laboratory: he is constantly analysing, sending and receiving data via satellite. What changes has he seen in the ocean environment? “More and more we are finding that the historical data is becoming less valid because things are definitely changing on a global scale. Gone are the days of flying through the Southern Ocean at whatever latitude you want because there is more ice around. What was a great part of this race has become severely curtailed as a result of global climate changes.” He rates the race’s carbon footprint as very small, so does it have a role in promoting eco-awareness? “Sailors are the eyes and ears of the world …and the Volvo has provided me with the best global soapbox I could want.” he says. “There are parts of the world where the amount of visual pollution in the ocean is extremely obvious but not necessarily causing a problem to the ecosystem. It’s the stuff you can’t see, like the very small but significant changes in water temperature that have a massive impact long term.”

“We don’t really know what the outcome of these changes is going to be, but the changes are happening and the changes are real” As a marine scientist, he describes coral reef systems as the ‘canary in the coalmine’ – the infamous bird used by early miners to provide a live warning system for gas leaks – and says Australia’s Great Barrier Reef now is in the worst shape it has been in for 30 years. Despite the sobering realities, Oxley is buoyant about the world’s capacity to change: “We only have to look at CFCs and what an impact they were having on the world. Through global attention, no longer is there a CFC problem because we changed what we were doing.”

A race we must win To Vestas, the Volvo Ocean Race represents more than one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most challenging ocean races over 38,739 nautical miles. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also about what wind can power beyond the sails of the boats. Wind not only powers Team Vestas Wind across the seas but also in an even bigger race: A race for all of us to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. A race we must win. Just like Team Vestas Wind, our success depends on our ability to collaborate and to set the pace for the industry.

ÂŠ Brian Carlin / Team Vestas Wind

As the global leader in wind energy, Vestas makes wind work better every day by delivering best-in-class wind energy solutions to the benefit of our customers and our planet.

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TEAM VESTAS WIND “We’ve got our backs to the wall – very much so already,” concedes skipper Chris Nicholson as he assesses the job that lies ahead. “Everyone knows how difficult this race is and we have made it even more difficult for ourselves.”

Skipper: Chris Nicholson

It’s 14 August 2014, only two days after Team Vestas Wind announced their entry in this race, and a shade under two months before the first in-port race in Alicante. Nicholson seems anything but flustered as he notes drily: “It can be both positive and negative.”

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Chris Nicholson: Aussie battler

Nicholson is in no doubt that the late start will be the defining element of their challenge: “If we overcome it, it will be the best thing possible for the team. If we let it beat us, then it will beat us for the whole race. So it’s going to be the most interesting aspect of our programme – how we deal with it.” Some things are worrying the Australian skipper more than others. Ask him what qualities it takes to be competitive in the race and he is circumspect: “It takes hours on the water... to be confident in how you sail the boat in all different wind strengths. And we’re not going to have that much, probably about eight days on the ocean between now and the start gun.” Eight days? Many of his rivals have been sailing together for over eight months. It’s a problem Nicholson admits that there is no easy solution to. “There is very little short-cutting – what it takes to be fast is those hours. So we will take a mind-set to learn quickly and not be as thorough as we have been in the past. We are going to have to go with our gut feel, rather than back it up with a lot of information and technology.” Among the things not worrying Nicholson is the boat itself. “Because of the one-design concept, I’m not concerned about the boat... it’s all the things that we have to bring to the boat in terms of personal gear, bedding, clothing, food, research, all our data for the legs... all the work you need to do to get yourself prepared. So that’s what we’re missing at the moment. The boat itself is going to be fine.”

Nicholson knows the qualities needed from his crew: “I would take attitude rather than a great CV every day of the week for this race.” This is his fifth consecutive race (his second as skipper) and he will be leaning heavily on his experience as a sailor, and as a mentor: ”I’m at the age where we’ve got new, young guys on-board the boat who are totally fresh to race and, to a certain extent, even to offshore sailing. One of my big goals is [seeing] how these guys come along, how they develop and grow their sailing skills. This can be a life-altering race when they are at that age – so that’s a big item for me personally; to make sure that it’s done right.”

With a reputation as one of the fastest and safest skippers in world sailing, Chris Nicholson is an inspired choice as leader for a team that needs to come together as a group fast.

“Some of my best memories of this race have been just getting back to shore in one piece”

With Nicholson’s track record, no one in the fleet will be taking Team Vestas Wind lightly. A couple of strong mid-fleet finishes in the early legs will be essential to laying a platform they can attack from

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He comes into this race with a record that includes consecutive second-place finishes in the last two editions – the most recent of them as skipper. The gritty Australian has few pretensions and has proven himself as a pragmatist not afraid to roll up his sleeves when things get tough. In 2005-06 aboard the ill-fated movistar, the trained electrician and former coal-miner sustained dozens of high-voltage shocks connecting an emergency pump while water poured in through a broken keel; aboard PUMA in 2008-09 he had his knee ligaments ruptured by a giant wave. The wry 45-year-old has lived the extremes of this race and is more likely than anyone to be motivated rather than intimidated by joining late.

“I have done some of the toughest mountain bike races in the world, and they don’t deliver for me what this race does. It tests me in so many areas of my life”

Left to right: Wouter Verbraak - NED; Brian Carlin (Onboard reporter) - IRL; Chris Nicholson - AUS; Peter Wibroe - DEN; Tom Johnson - AUS; Rob Salthouse - NZL; Tony Rae - NZL; Nicolai Sehested - DEN; Below, on board: Maciel Cicchetti - ARG

in the second half of the race. It’s a pattern that served Nicholson well in the 2011-12 race, when consistent results aboard CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand saw them surge to second place overall by the finish. This time, with a powerful sponsor in the form of Danish wind-technology leaders, Vestas, Nicholson and his men won’t be left wanting for support and expertise. It all comes down to how quickly they can harness the natural sailing ability on-board to turn a negative into a positive and overcome the learning deficit they face. “I’m counting on the team that we build and form. It’s all about how we come together as a group...I have the picture and path in my mind, but we still have to deliver on it.”

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ÂŠ Ian Roman / Volvo Ocean Race

The most important thing we build is trust

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“Few of us would expect our cars to head off-road at motorway speeds. but this is precisely what is expected of these grand prix machines, and what makes them such impressive pieces of engineering,” explains sailing expert Matt Sheahan as he takes us through the new-generation race machine.

THE VOLVO OCEAN 65 It’s dark, raining hard and you’re driving home. between the sweeps of the windscreen wipers you can barely see the road ahead. powerful gusts broadside you at random, threatening to slide you across the carriageway. It’s no fun – but at least you can stop. for the crews in this race there is no stopping. the crews slam into waves the size of small buildings and knee-deep water cascades through the cockpit, travelling full-pace in conditions that would break most race boats..

Grand prix engineering It’s a big ask to design and build a boat specifically for racing full-throttle in extreme conditions. But that was the brief for the new, one-design Volvo Ocean 65. Aside from the months of research, development and design, each boat is the product of 36,000 hours of manpower. Every component and join has been engineered specifically to cope with the extremes of this race. Everyone involved this project knows the sailors’ motto: ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’. “For the workers on the build project, knowing that all these boats would soon be in action in the world’s most gruelling race adds a special dimension. To be involved in leading such a project is an experience that will stay with them forever.” Richard Acland, Green Marine CEO

Barebones crew Start with eight crew, take the skipper and navigator out of the equation and divide the remainder by two and you have three crew per shift (‘watch’) to manage one of the most demanding boat classes ever built. Even at full strength, the Volvo Ocean 65 carries a smaller crew than a typical 40-foot racer, but with four times more sail area and substantially more power. Larger crews are allowed for mixed-gender (nine) and all-female teams (11) but, whatever the headcount, the Volvo Ocean 65 makes multi-tasking essential.

Precious sails As if navigating the toughest conditions were not enough, teams also need to be conscious of preserving their most sensitive equipment throughout the race: their sails. Rules mean that a complete sail inventory can include only 12 sails, with only eight allowed on the boat at any one time. Sails cannot be modified or repaired by the teams without permission and replacements are banned in all but the most extreme of circumstances. In effect, crews need to manage sails in the same way that a motorsport driver manages fuel.

“The ability to see the big picture while being able to specialise in your own particular area is an important skill” Simon Fisher (GBR), Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

“The one-design boats will put more emphasis on making this a test of sailing skill” – Mark Towill (usa), Team Alvimedica

– A REMARKABLE RIDE Manual power Imagine a four-hour gym workout every eight hours, all the way around the world. All controls on the Volvo Ocean 65 are manually driven – most of them using the grinding pedestals on deck. Every turn of a winch’s handles hauls tonnes of weight and each four-hour watch can be spent constantly at the handles, adjusting the sails. “Just do it! Don’t think too much about it and go for it so that you don’t let yourself and the team down.” Pieter Jan Postma (NED), Team Brunel

Shrinking bodies Despite a daily intake of up to 6,500 calories (2,500 calories is the daily adult norm), crews can end up smaller than when they started. On the long offshore legs, body weight losses of around 10% are not unusual. “Even when you’re in your bunk, you’re moving. Exercising all the time. You can almost feel yourself getting smaller” Rob Salthouse (NZL), TEAM VESTAS WIND

“It is a fun boat to sail, a cross between the VO70 and the IMOCA 60 that I know! The best bit about it is that it is onedesign, so we will be equal on the start line and it is the sailors that make the difference”

Restless and wild More violent than an airliner passing through turbulence, noisier than a freight train – that’s the sensation below deck at full-speed on a Volvo Ocean 65. Sleeping is frequently impossible, dozing is as good as it gets. Even when crews do get to drift off, every wave, twitch and movement of the boat still keeps them in suspense. If something goes wrong, all hands will be needed instantly to get the boat back on her feet.

Canting keel The ability to swing (‘cant’) the 4.7m keel up to 40 degrees out to one side makes it possible for the crew to keep the boat upright and moving at full sail-power in all conditions. The effect is like changing gear, but canting keels are almost as rare on race boats as wings on road cars and require expert handling.

“At the end of a long leg, I look forward to sitting still for five minutes” Gerd-Jan Poortman (NED), Team Brunel

– Sam Davies (gbr), Team sca 69

Fix-it men As the teams wearily step off their boats at the end of a leg, they hand it over to Nick Bice. The Australian and his squad of high-performance builders and technicians make up The Boatyard – the race’s brand new, mobile service centre. Expectations are high when your clients depend on high-spec workmanship not only for speed but for survival. The teams’ need for complete faith in The Boatyard’s service is something Bice was conscious of from the outset: “Teams can no longer buy 25 shore crew made up of the best guys in the world because I’ve bought the best already.” The 1,200m2 specialist workshop and sail-loft facility will be a hive of activity, with little time available between legs to keep the full fleet in in race condition. “My fulltime crew will be 17. All the people I am employing have been involved in the race before,” explains Bice. “They are not employed just because they match a job description, but because they are a name around the race and they are trusted by the race community.”

Operating a centralised service is essential for making sure the fleet stays equal throughout the race. But Bice is quick to point out how teams also benefit from lower support costs: “You don’t need 15 or 20 shore crew on your books which, when you add up all the logistics, flights and wages, is a big chunk of budget.” Teams also avoid the high costs of schlepping spare parts around the world as a precaution against breakages. For the teams, it’s a simple equation, but Bice and his pit-crew will need to be nimble to cope with the demands that could end up being placed on them. “We never know when the worst case situation can occur, so we have to be prepared for whatever is thrown at us. No one situation is the same as another. In traditional crisis management there is around a 20% improvisation factor, within the Volvo Ocean Race though, I would say it’s closer to 50%.”

Extreme reporting When the Volvo Ocean Race went public with an Onboard Reporter (OBR) recruitment drive, over 2,500 people applied for seven positions. “We were blown away by the number and standard of the applicants,” says senior producer, Rick Deppe. Undeterred by a job description that spelt out the harsh conditions, physical demands and emotional trials of riding shotgun in one of sport’s most gruelling events, many of the hopefuls may have underestimated the human demands of getting this job done. Asking crew members to be candid when they are tired, stressed and anxious wins few friends. As tension builds aboard a 19.8 metre carbon shell miles from anywhere, it’s easy to become isolated or even resented. Yet the OBR needs to paint a vivid picture while suffering the exact same conditions.

“Most importantly, we stress how they will be torn in so many different directions,” explains Deppe. “The media ashore will want them to spill the beans on what life is really like on board, while their own team’s marketing people will want to hear that everything’s great. Meanwhile the crew just

want you to stay out of the way. Your body tells you to stay in your bunk while your head says ‘pull your weight’.” Bringing stories ashore has been a popular feature of recent races but followers of this edition can expect much more: “Aside from working even harder with the OBRs to help them deliver footage that will blow our socks off, we have a stack of new technology aboard these boats,“ continued Deppe. The Volvo Ocean 65 has been designed and built to accommodate powerful remote media systems: “In addition to new camera angles, we have a sophisticated iPad control tool that allows the OBRs to control all the media systems from anywhere on the boat while conducting live interviews.” “This event is going to look very different to what’s gone before.”

Worl d - c la s s c on s t ruc t ion…

…means the best athletes win

“ Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO

Thanks to the expertise of Persico Marine, Decision, Multiplast and Green Marine, our objectives have been realised. Our mission was to create a one-design boat to take us through the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. We specified that it be as light, strong and fast as possible, while providing our teams with the affordability that comes from one set of plans. The Volvo Ocean 65 is the outcome of that process. Now seven identical, stateof-the-art Volvo Ocean 65s stand ready for the world’s toughest racetrack, thanks to the efforts of a consortium of world-class boat builders. Now the focus is on the talent, endurance, strategy and technique of seven determined teams: may the best athletes win!

Groupe Carboman

”

Groupe Carboman

hull shells and dagger boards

bulkheads and components

decks and deck components

www.persicomarine.com

www.decision.ch

www.multiplast.eu

lead contractor, components, systems and commissioning www.greenmarine.co.uk

nine months, four oceans, five continents. with a minimum length of 38,739 nm (71,745 km), it’s easy to be impressed by the scale of the longest, toughest racetrack in sport but how many of us have been far out to sea? like anything gigantic, it’s not until you get up close that you appreciate just how big it really is

opening dates

2014-15

race village

2 1 12 24 27 oct

nov

dec

jan

feb

Alicante Abu Dhabi

volvo ocean race

Sanya

leg 1

leg 4

A, B, C, F, J, K, M leg 3

A, B, C, E, K, O

B, E, F, I, J, K, O

Auckland

Cape Town leg 2 A, B, C, E, F, I, J, K

The Volvo Ocean Race is sailing’s ultimate test of determination, seamanship and endurance. But how does it compare with other great human feats of stamina? Charles Caudrelier, skipper of Dongfeng Race Team, gives us his perspective. “Like many other sports it’s a way of life. You live it, eat it and breathe it. I respect other athletes and know they’re probably stronger, fitter or more physically impressive than offshore sailors but I wonder how many marathon runners could be confined to 65 feet (19.8m) when they feel the need to run? Or how many mountain climbers could deal with the relentless backlash of the waves?” “Each endurance sport has its own particular attributes but the thing all competitors have in common is that they love what they do and given the choice would do it all again. Because they’re nuts.” As they race from Alicante to Gothenburg via nine ports-of-call, we get to glimpse a different kind of

apr

may

jun

a world of contrasts

4 5 25 9 19 21 jun

Gothenburg The Hague Newport

leg 9 B, F, G, H, J, L, N, O

leg 8 B, F, O

Lorient

leg 7 B, C, D, K, M, N

Lisbon leg 6 A, F, J, K

Itajaí

life – both at sea and on land. In the race villages, millions of visitors celebrate a spirit of adventure, see heroes and get a sense of being part of a truly global undertaking. Now, when they leave port, the sailors are no longer out of sight. Mobile technology makes it possible to get closer than ever before. Over nine gruelling point-scoring stages, unprecedented levels of access provide a window onto to the sailors’ physical and personal struggles. The drama and exhilaration that humans experience in the middle of the ocean is only a click away.

“The thing all competitors have in common is that they love what they do and given the choice would do it all again. Because they’re nuts” The chance to get close to an adventure as gigantic as this only comes along every three years. All the way from Alicante to Gothenburg, Marcus Hutchinson and Robert Penner give us a preview of what we can look forward to.

LEG-BY-LEG Hazards

points

key

leg 5 B, C, D, K, M, N

LEG-BY-LEG scoring

equatorial doldrums

placing

pts

strong winds

1st

extreme seas

2nd

icebergs

3rd

island archipeligos

4th

dense shipping traffic

5th

oil rigs

6th

wind farms

7th

piracy risk

dns (did not start)

debris

dnf (did not finish)

large marine life

pit-stop

cold conditions

fog

fishing hazards

The Volvo Ocean Race Trophy is awarded to the team with the lowest aggregate points scored over nine legs. Teams tied on equal aggregate points will be separated according to superior ranking in the in-port race series.

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The gateway to Spain’s popular Costa Blanca, Alicante is recognised far and wide for its iconic Castell de Santa Bàrbara, perched nearly 500 feet (166m) above the race village.

race village opens:

October 2 pro-am racing:

October 3, 5 & 10 in-port race:

October 4

leg 1 start:

October 11

“For me, Alicante seems to be the perfect place to kick-off our nine-month adventure.” Spaniard, Xabi Fernández (MAPFRE), knows the extra-special atmosphere of the start port experience, having started the last three races as a home-town hero: “The amount of people who came to the port and were curious to see and meet the teams surprised us all.” The pre-start buzz is has always been a pillar of the race’s culture – one that the Spanish city has done much to shape. Sailors routinely racing around the city on their skateboards are a common sight. Now hosting the race start for the third consecutive time, the Spanish city has also been home to the race’s headquarters since 2009. Climaxing with the fleet’s keenly anticipated blast-off into Leg 1, Alicante hosts racing action over two festive weekends. The locals know how to get up for big moments like these; it’s a city that very much enjoys life, with year-round sunny days and music

Visiting

With its sparkling azure waters, Mediterranean climate and vibrant buzz, Alicante never fails to impress.

distance: From airport: 12 km From city centre: 1 km

playing late into the night in the old town’s small alleyways and port discothequequarter. One of the city’s hottest nightspots is located only metres from the race’s 24hour control room – both in a part of town young locals refer to as ‘la zona Volvo’.

“By being so close to everything, the village can fill up and become a really happy place very quickly” “Alicante Race Village is located only metres from the city’s food and entertainment scene - it’s a huge party town,” Fernández explains. “By being so close to everything, the village can fill up and become a really happy place very quickly.” From the city, cross the beautiful, palm-lined Explanada de España and the city’s impressive marina and beach zones open out in front of you. Along the short walk to the race village, the buzz of activity and excitement of prerace begins to rise. At the entrance, two large piers extend out in a U-shape, like a pair of arms ready to embrace its visitors. Indeed, Alicante shows affection to all who come to visit.

alicante race village airport: Alicante-Elche (ALC)

climate (october): 20-25ºC average; 86 mm rainfall; Low of 15ºC greetings: Hola (Hello); Buenos días (Good morning); Buenas tardes (Good afternoon) Information

Alicante

esp

ABOUT alicantend know:

This is Alicante’s third appearance in the race, featuring each time as start port see:

Santa Barbara Castle; Island of Tabarca; Volvo Ocean Race Museum taste:

Paella Alicantina (rice with chicken and rabbit); Fideuà (noodles); Turrón (honey & almond nougat) tell:

Volvo Ocean Race headquarters and race control have been based in Alicante since 2009; The Ciudad de la Luz film studios have hosted productions like Mr. Nice, The Impossible and Triage

Under the hood itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sports car

Inspired by the racing world, the new I-Shift Dual Clutch sets a new standard in drivability. Read more about this world-first atÂ volvotrucks.com.

i-shift Dual clutch

leg 1

9th appearance in the race

See :

Auckland Sky Tower; Waiheke sland; Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

Taste :

Green-lipped mussels; crayfih; Roast lamb

Tell :

One in every three Auckland ouseholds is estimated to wn a boat; Voyager Maritime Museum features a large ermanent exhibit dedicated to ace legend, Sir Peter Blake

especially for us who are coming so late this time” – Xabi Fernández (MAPFRE)

Alicante - cape town 6,487 nm OCTOBER 11, 2014

Ports Distance LEG START

Know :

“The leg will be a big learning curve for all,

Alicante

Autumn weather means conditions can change radically before the fleet is released into the ocean via the notorious Straits of Gibraltar

On each previous occasion the start gun has sounded in Alicante, the first night has provided gripping racing from the outset – and more than its share of carnage. In 2011, early storm damage forced two boats to suspend sailing.

Navigators need to be patient to be sure of finding the strongest, steadiest winds to take them South. Turning too soon can backfire badly

The dreaded place where nothing moves – the Doldrums. Navigators need to be at the top of their game to pass through without stalling

With much to prove and the crews’ competitive instincts finally unleashed, the first days at sea have consistently provided a severe test. The Mediterranean has shown uncanny timing to turn violent almost on cue – as if to question the sailors’ commitment. Four-time race veteran Xabi Fernández (MAPFRE) reckons this is his favourite leg: “I think it is everyone’s favourite.” For crews and race followers alike, Leg 1 is an important, early form-guide: “We can’t wait to see how equal the boats really are this time.”

Dongfeng Race Team’s Martin Strömberg – a race winner in 2012 – endorses the Spaniard’s enthusiasm, calling it a true test of the fleet. “It has a bit of everything. It is a special leg as normally the winner of the first leg wins the whole race.” Though Strömberg smirks when he adds, “last time, on Groupama, we proved that myth doesn’t count anymore.”

Skirting the St Helena high, the fleet has a choice to set course for Cape Town to save miles, or dive South in search of ocean winds to catapult them to the finish

Cape Town

race village opens:

November 1

After a difficult and treacherous leg of record-breaking speeds in the South Atlantic, the sight of Table Mountain is a welcome one for weary ocean racers. American Skip Novak is a four-time racer who has chosen Cape Town as his home: “The competitors, organisers, sponsors and the public – everyone loves Cape Town. The geography is stunning, the weather sublime and a day-trip to the winelands, a walk in the bush or a surf on pristine beaches can give everyone involved some instant rest and relaxation” Cape Town hosts the Volvo Ocean Race for a record tenth time – its continuity a tribute to a city that has played the role of key transit point and party town for merchant sailors since the 17th century.

pro-am racing:

November 14 & 16 in-port race:

November 15 leg

2 start:

November 19

Dig a little deeper beyond the city’s geography and Cape Town’s diverse people, unique history and distractions offer something for everyone: shopping, dining, hiking, beaches and cultural sites. It offers a diversity of restaurants and nightlife

Visiting

Few cities in the world can match the natural bounty that was bestowed on Cape Town. Whether entering by air, land or sea, Table Mountain and its dazzling cloud formations offer a drama of nature unlike anything else on earth.

Cape Town International. (CPT) distance:

From airport: 23 km From city centre: 4 km climate (november):

that only a multi-cultural city of 3.7 million can. Cape Town’s incredible mix of newworld flavours and old-world ingredients used by star chefs, have made the city a culinary destination in its own right. Camps Bay is a popular eating and night spot with scenic ocean and beach views; the V&A Waterfront, location of the race

Cape Town hosts the Volvo Ocean Race for a record tenth time village, is a redeveloped dockside area that provides a popular food, shopping and entertainment hub: “The V&A Waterfront combines a sophisticated leisure complex in amongst a working port. It’s a fascinating venue like no other,” explains Novak. It’s this seamless fusion of function and fashion, sailing and lifestyle that will surely see the race return to Cape Town many times more.

cape town race village airport:

25-30ºC daytime average; 24mm rainfall; Low of 13ºC greetings:

Halo (Afrikaans); Unjani (Xhosa); Howzit (English)

Information

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cape town

rsa

ABOUT cape townnd know:

Cape Town is playing host to the race for a record 10th time see:

Table Mountain; Robben Island; Boulders Penguin Colony taste:

Babotie (curried mince with raisins and creamy egg topping); Bokkoms (dried fish snack); Ostrich steak tell:

Known affectionately as the ‘Tavern of the Seas’, Cape Town has been revered by mariners for centuries

leg 2

Shifty winds and sandstorms complicate the approach to the Straits of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf

cape town - abu dhabi 6,125 nm November 19, 2014

Ports Distance Leg Start 78

Abu Dhabi

Little is known about patterns in the light-air zone of the Indian Ocean Doldrums. Teams can easily be fooled into following early signs of wind

“It’s highly stressful. I’m going to lose more hair”

Cape Town Weather systems around South Africa mean the teams need to head South, then East, before choosing the moment to make a move for the North

Leaving Cape Town, the teams confound new fans, spending days apparently sailing away from their destination. But it’s a necessary action - a long, punishing detour redeemed in part by the huge variety of marine life on show.

The fleet has to hustle to get back up to speed; the teams elbow their way South to get at the high winds and big waves that can take them East at pace. Once in position, they make a 90-degree turn straight to the North. The number of racing boats that have passed this way before can be counted on the fingers of two hands. The equatorial Doldrums are an unknown quantity on this side of Africa, making Leg 2 anything but simple. Nico Lunven, the debutant navigator aboard MAPFRE worries most about this phase of the leg: “It’s highly stressful. I’m going to lose more hair, and it’s not as if I have much left already!” Last race, security measures saw the fleet stop in the Maldives and leapfrog danger via a cargo ship. With the risk of piracy risk now considerably lower, “sailing to Abu Dhabi non-stop will be new for everyone,” enthuses Martin Strömberg (Dongfeng Race Team). Unpredictable winds and Gulf shipping traffic will keep the eyes of the racers trained like hawks, right up until the golden domes and skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi come clearly into sight.

Abu Dhabi is an emirate bursting with the energy of mega-developments, glistening new hotels, and year-round events. In 2011, the race marked a successful first visit to the Gulf region; this time it returns to a welcome that is sure to be warm and a village location that has almost doubled in size.

Visiting

abu dhabi

uae

abu dhabi race village airport:

Abu Dhabi International (AUH) distance:

From airport: 40 km From city centre: 7 km climate (december):

25-30ºC daytime average; 4mm rainfall; Low of 15ºC

race village opens:

December 12 pro-am racing:

December 31 & January 1 in-port race:

January 2 leg 2 start:

January 3

“The stopover village created on the Corniche is in the heart of the city with many of Abu Dhabi’s incredible new buildings as a backdrop.” Race skipper, Ian Walker, knows Abu Dhabi well and is proud of how it performed on its race debut. “They created a fantastic Arabic welcome for all the visitors. Plenty for the kids to do with a Soukh, attractions, shows, a lovely beach, pristine waters and, of course, great weather.”

entertainment highpoint. For this edition, the stopover again straddles the Christmas / New Year period, making it ideal for families to combine a visit to the race with their holidays.

Abu Dhabi is truly a place of superlatives

Abu Dhabi is a thoroughly 21st century city, but nowhere is the emirate’s tradition more evident than on the water. The traditional dhow boats that pepper the shoreline are a romantic sight for any sailing fan. “Fishing and pearl diving have been a way of life for generations in Abu Dhabi,” explains Walker. “Many of these original seafaring families now still build and sail these boats, but more for the competition of racing.”

Indeed, Abu Dhabi’s exotic mix of sunny skies, water and desert sports, and generous shopping have made it a popular destination. It is a place of superlatives. In 2011, a spectacular New Year’s Eve concert by Coldplay provided the race with a memorable

It was the competition of racing – and Walker helming home-team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing – that brought the race to new heights in this exotic new location, and memories as majestic as the grand mosques and palaces that dot the horizon.

Salam Alaikom(hello); Sabah el khair (Good morning); Masaa el khair (Good evening) Information

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greetings:

ABOUT abu dhabi know:

Abu Dhabi joins the race for the second time, again providing a host port and race team see:

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque; Ferrari World Abu Dhabi; Emirates Palace; Yas Waterworld taste:

Shawarma (pita bread with spit-roasted chicken or lamb); Al Harees (slow-cooked meat and wheat served with ghee) tell:

The Corniche, home of the Abu Dhabi Race Village, was purpose-built to host the last Volvo Ocean Race

leg 3 abu dhabi - Sanya

Ports

Swiss sailor Elodie-Jane Mettraux (Team SCA) summarises Leg 3 aptly: “Leaving the Arabian Gulf and sailing right around Asia is pretty unusual.” The first quarter of the leg is a case of ‘back out the way we came in’. Around the southern tip of India, navigators weigh-up whether to cut corners and risk slowing down by getting too close to Sri Lanka’s light winds. Every decision here involves compromise. On board, anxiety levels can rise. “The Malacca Strait will certainly be the highlight. It’s not every day that racing sailors have lush, green tropical forests on both sides of the course!” But Mettraux

knows it’s no pleasure cruise. Tackling the Straits is like sailing into the wrong end of a funnel. Currents, unpredictable winds, floating debris and general lawlessness promise more lead-changes than she can shout ‘Singapore!’. The last section upwind along the Vietnamese coast will see Chinese sailors excited about home and the wider race family looking forward to swapping stories with friends. Sanya and its resorts will be a strong motivator to end a taxing leg quickly.

If any stage of this race demands that the sailors channel the pioneering spirit of the early explorers, it is this one

Abu Dhabi

Distance

4,670 nm January 3, 2015

Know :

LEG Start

Leaving the Gulf first gives a navigator time and distance to find the fastest course South around India’s coast

9th appearance in the race

See :

Auckland Sky Tower; Waiheke sland; Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

Taste :

Green-lipped mussels; crayfih; Roast lamb

Tell :

One in every three Auckland ouseholds is estimated to wn a boat; Voyager Maritime Museum features a large ermanent exhibit dedicated to ace legend, Sir Peter Blake

Double-jeopardy at Sri Lanka: turn early and winds die away; turn late and the currents work against you

The fleet will need to be on high-alert through the often-chaotic Malacca Strait. Patience and fast crewwork are key to overcoming its web of complexity

Sanya

race village opens:

January 24 pro-am racing:

February 5 & 6 in-port race:

February 7 leg 4 start:

February 8

China is making impressive strides as a sailing nation, but it is a sport that has had little exposure. On that evening in January 2012, an unsuspecting Sanya public found unity with the heroism and endeavour needed just to finish in this race, watching as their home team sailed in to port last, heads held high.

Guanyin, Buddhist goddess of infinite compassion and mercy, reaches out to sea. Last time, the race was making only its second visit to China and celebrating its first-ever Chinese sailor. Hopes are high that 2015 will take sailing to the next level in the world’s most populous country. Now, for this race, the Dongfeng Race Team crew features six Chinese sailors and a boat likely to spring fewer surprises. Dongfeng’s Jin Hao Chen (Horace) holds Sanya close. “Sailing towards Sanya means sailing towards China, towards

Sanya Phoenix International (SYX) distance:

From airport: 23 km From city centre: 9 km

home.” He is aware of the stopover’s significance to the wellbeing of his sport: “Sanya is helping bring offshore sailing to China by being a part of this race.” But far from being a Chinese event, Horace is sure foreign visitors will enjoy Sanya’s welcome: “The weather there is always great. The food is fantastic a true ‘taste of China’. The people are friendly.” Located on the resort island of Hainan, Sanya’s reputation as a holiday and recreational boating paradise is growing. With its year-round tropical climate and numerous beaches, Sanya has become a popular vacation destination. Restaurants, shops and hotels cater to visitors from across Asia and Russia. On the racecourse, the dominant figure of Guanyin reaches out to sea. Standing 108 metres tall, the gigantic statue represents the Buddhist goddess of infinite compassion and mercy. Thousands of well-wishers will be mobilised behind her caring gaze, as the fleet leaves the friendliness of Sanya for the hostility of the South China Sea and beyond.

sanya race village airport:

climate (january):

22-28ºC daytime average; 27mm rainfall; Low of 16ºC greetings:

Ni hao / nín hao (Hello)

Information

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In 2012, Sanya produced one of the race’s great, goose-bump memories. When droves of people flocked to Sanya Race Village to cheer the late-night arrival of the enigmatic Team Sanya.

Visiting

sanya

chn

ABOUT sanya know:

Sanya is making its second appearance in the race. see:

Luhuitou Park; Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone; Tianya Haijiao resort taste:

Baoluo rice noodles (sour, spicy thick rice noodles); Three colour rice of Miao Clan (yellow, black and red rice); Bamboo rice tell:

Dongfeng Race Team used Sanya Serenity Marina as home base for its race preparations; Sanya has hosted the Miss World pageant five times

leg 4 Sanya - auckland 5,264 nm February 8, 2015

Ports Distance

LEG START

Know :

9th appearance in the race

See :

Auckland Sky Tower; Waiheke sland; Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

Taste :

Green-lipped mussels; crayfih; Roast lamb

Tell :

One in every three Auckland ouseholds is estimated to wn a boat; Voyager Maritime Museum features a large ermanent exhibit dedicated to ace legend, Sir Peter Blake

Tides and sudden wind loss can cause the fleet to bunch up. The spoils of 20 days’ hard work can evaporate in hours in a frantic sprint to the finish.

Sanya

Savage seas and long-term thinking dominate the opening days. Many boats sail high into the North to position themselves for the long surf south

Four seasons in one leg. Travelling from the mid-winter to mid-summer, Leg 4 leads the fleet through contrasting sailing extremes, ranging from gory to glorious. The way out of Sanya sees the fleet head North in search of the South China Sea’s release valve into the Pacific. Sailing over the Filipino island of Luzon promises some of the toughest scenarios a sailor can face: upwind gales, storms, and long winter nights. This is boat-breaking territory. Once out, the fleet is catapulted through the Pacific archipelagos. The sailing is fast, wet and hot – with waves constantly smashing over the deck. “Eight days reaching in the Pacific in 30 degrees of heat and constant water - great sailing,” smiles Charles Caudrelier (Dongfeng Race Team). “But I hate having to put on oilskins in that heat!”

Caudrelier knows only too well that things can get decidedly too wet before exiting the Pacific. His memories of this leg are marked with fondness and fear: “We found tonnes of water in the bow of the boat. It was really serious for a while. We were afraid of losing everything.”

Bold navigators can choose to risk light winds and shallow waters by bisecting island groups, saving valuable miles

Auckland

Upwind gales, storms, and long winter nights. This is boat-breaking territory Passing Cape Reinga on New Zealand’s northern tip, the fleet is soon met by wellwishers dotted up and down the coast – cheering them home like in the closing stages of a cycle race. Auckland beckons.

race village opens:

February 27 pro-am racing:

March 12 & 13 in-port race:

March 14 leg 5 start:

March 15

Auckland is a world-class city defined as much by its profound connection to the sea as its unique South Pacific flavour. New Zealand’s largest city draws visitors from around the world, combining all the trappings of a major international city with breath-taking geography, a vibrant sports and entertainment offering, and an infectiously laidback Kiwi lifestyle. It’s a place where the locals’ connection with sailing turns up the enthusiasm dial whenever the race calls. With two America’s Cups and nine race stopovers to their credit, the harbour city’s public is savvy and embracing. Dongfeng Race Team’s Charles Caudrelier is unequivocal: “Auckland is the home-away-from-home for every sailor, no matter where they’re from.” Every visitor to Auckland must take advantage of the water. The opportunities are plentiful – beaches on two coasts, sailing charters readily available and ferries to popular locations like Waiheke Island, Devonport and Rangitoto Island.

Just hopping on a harbour cruise makes it possible to soak in the Hauraki Gulf and the expanse of Auckland’s stunning skyline. They are the same views that will welcome the race fleet as it speeds to

A world-class city set amongst stunning geography, a vibrant sports & entertainment offering and an infectiously laidback Kiwi lifestyle the end of Leg 4. In 2012, Auckland was the scene of an incredible finish – Groupama 4, with Caudrelier aboard, took out an emphatic leg win while taking on a worrying amount of water. In their wake, four other boats ended 20 days at sea within the space of 83 minutes. It was no less of a spectacle than a City of Sails could have asked for.

Visiting

Known affectionately as the City of Sails, Auckland has a special bond with this race. Memories of spectacular racing set among swarms of spectator boats are many; more race winners have learned their craft in this city than any other.

auckland race village airport:

Auckland International (AKL) distance:

From airport: 20 km From city centre: 1 km climate (march):

20-24ºC average; 22mm rainfall; Low of 15ºC greetings:

Hello/Gidday (English); Kia Ora (Maori) Information

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Auckland

nzl

ABOUT aucklandnd know:

Auckland is making its ninth appearance in the race see:

Auckland Sky Tower; Waiheke Island; Waitakere Ranges Regional Park taste:

Green-lipped mussels; Crayfish; Roast lamb tell:

One in every three Auckland households is estimated to own a boat; Voyager Maritime Museum features a large permanent exhibit dedicated to race legend, Sir Peter Blake

leg 5

“We aren’t really racing on this leg.

waiting for conditions to improve”

6,776 nm March 15, 2015

Auckland - itajai

Distance Leg start

Ports

We are delivering the boat safely,

Good-bye Auckland, hello fear, hello loneliness. The stakes are high in these treacherous seas. For most of Leg 5, the closest landmass is Antarctica. If something goes wrong, the teams only have each other to depend on. This is white-knuckle ocean sailing – the kind that warms the heart of the sailing purist and drops the jaw of anyone else. It’s a passage of the race where self-preservation trumps the need for speed. “With 10-metre swells for six to seven days, the goal is often to slow the boat down,” explains Charles Caudrelier (Dongfeng Race Team). For the crews, it’s about riding out the hard times to be in shape to push when conditions are easier.

Passing Cape Horn means deliverance from weeks of cold, soaking wet stress. For ocean sailors, the southern tip of South America is the most welcome sight there is. Bouwe Bekking (Team Brunel) has sailed round it more than most, but the elation of rounding it never dims: “You have been sailing through the Southern Ocean for 8-10 days: freezing your bum off…huge seas… gales…icebergs. Every mile you sail past Cape Horn you are heading North and it’s getting warmer again.”

After rounding ‘The Horn’ there are still plenty of miles to be sailed, past the Falkland Islands, and through potentially explosive weather before the finish line. On the most exhausting leg in sailing, Brazilian Caipirinha and Samba will be far from the crews’ minds.

Itajaí Fast-developing weather systems along the Argentine coast can be costly to leaders. Sudden wind losses can provide unexpected gifts to the boats behind

Auckland

Arriving first in the high-wind zone known as the Roaring 40s is a chance for the leading boat to build out a large margin. It’s the superhighway of the South

Cape Horn is the northern boundary to a 500-mile wide stretch of cold, churning ocean that ends at the Antarctic Peninsula. Respect to all who make it through

Photo Credit: Mark Covell/Team Russia/Volvo Ocean Race

truphone.com

From 16 different SIMs to a single SIM. Just another day in the office. As a global mobile operator, Truphone has set out to change the way the world communicates. So our customers stay connected 24 hours a day, wherever they are. For the team behind the Volvo Ocean Race, that means using their devices like they do at home, on one bundle and at one rate across 66 countries, without the need to carry a pocket full of SIM cards.

race village opens:

April 4 pro-am racing:

April 16 & 17 in-port race:

April 18 leg 6 start:

April 19

Brazil’s vast coastline stretches for nearly 7,500 km. Located in the southern state of Santa Catarina, Itajaí – the race’s only South American stopover – is Brazil’s largest fishing port and second-biggest container port. It belongs to a region known as Costa Verde & Mar – a vast green coast offering breathtaking nature and a quality of life among the highest in Brazil.

Among the sailors there will be few ports that they leave more reluctantly Itajaí made its first appearance in the race in 2012 and immediately struck lucky. The locals were thrilled to a gruelling match-race between Mar Mostro and Team Telefónica to the Leg 5 finish line. Bruised and battered, the only survivors of the Southern Ocean arrived to a hero’s welcome within minutes of each other. Itajaí’s place in the race’s folklore was sealed before the party had even begun.

itajaí race village airport:

Ministro Victor Konder International (NVT) distance:

From airport: 24 km From city centre: 0 km climate (april):

24-25ºC average; 83mm rainfall; Low of 19ºC “Itajaí did a great job last race. The stopover was a huge success,” recalls Joca Signorini. The Brazilian coach of Team SCA was onboard the losing boat in that epic Sunday leg finish, but he recalls the stirring arrival: “Because of the climate and everything else, Brazil is a really nice country to arrive into. It was terrific to see the town get so involved in the race and with sailing. It was great for everyone, but for me it was a very special moment.” Located directly in the centre of town, the race village intersects perfectly with Itajaí’s urban rhythm. Food, live music and warmth embrace the sailing spectacle of the Volvo Ocean Race. When the boats head out for one last climb over the equator thousands will gather again on Itajaí’s beaches and jetties. Among the sailors there will be few ports that they leave more reluctantly.

greetings:

Olá (Hello); Bom dia (Good morning); Boa tarde (Good afternoon) Information

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As they end of the race’s longest, most perilous leg, the beaches and lush vegetation enveloping Itajaí will seem to the crews like an impossible paradise. Those who choose to visit the race in comfort will find it hard to conclude otherwise.

Visiting

itajaí

brA

ABOUT itajaínd know:

Itajaí hosts the race for the second time; The race has visited Brazil seven times see:

Atalaia Natural Park; Paroquia Santissimo Sacramento; Canto do Morcego taste:

Feijoada (pork and black bean stew with rice); Moqueca (fish/ seafood stew with palm oil and coconut milk) tell:

In 2012, Itajaí hosted more than 250,000 visitors in the race village

leg 6 itajai - newport

Approaching the New England coast, passing weather systems create small opportunities to break from the fleet. Smart weather analysis is called for.

Much of the leg will be sailed with the fleet within sight of each other. Concentration and patience are key, especially in the Doldrums

Itajaí

The joys of Itajaí come to an end as the teams regroup for Leg 6 – the last leg in a punishing sequence of six ocean mega-marathons. One who is actually looking forward to it is Charlie Enright, skipper on Alvimedica: “Of all the legs in this Volvo Ocean Race, sailing home to Newport should be the experience of a lifetime.” The Rhode Island town that Enright calls home has witnessed plenty of sail-racing history, but never a Volvo Ocean Race. It’s a moment Enright will be itching to be a big part of. The passage from South to North America gives the fleet few opportunities to pounce and break away from the fleet. The prevailing winds are unreliable, making it risky to let your opponent out of sight. Any

openings that arrive are likely to be brief and blurry. Reactions must be decisive and implemented with stealth. Once past Cabo Frio, teams will be relying on maintaining straight-line speed for much of the way North. Nerves will be tested again as the race passes the equator one last time. Once through, they search for the best veins of the powerful Gulf Stream current to help them slowly outpace the fleet. It’s a game of patience and control. Any sudden lapse or breakage could irreparably harm the chances of winning this tense leg.

April 19, 2015 5,010 nm

Ports Distance Leg start

Newport

Newport has witnessed plenty of historic sail-racing, but never a Volvo Ocean Race

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With a rich colonial past and the Gilded Age splendour of its waterfront mansions, history lingers on every Newport corner. Founded nearly 400 years ago, the Rhode Island town was among the oldest settlements in the American colonies.

race village opens:

May 5 pro-am racing:

May 14 & 15 in-port race:

May 16 leg 7 start:

May 17

The U.S.’s spiritual home of sailing seems the obvious place to hold an ocean race Modern-day Newport is transformed from the commercial and trade hub of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, tourism and vacationing take centrestage. The grand Breakers mansions, built as vacation ‘cottages’ by southern planters and wealthy Yankees from New York, have been turned into museums; old waterfront shops on Thames Street. that once housed traders and skilled craftsman have been replaced by pubs, cafes and restaurants. The link to the past lives on most tellingly on the bay. Picturesque Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic waters beyond are where twelve consecutive America’s Cup

Visiting

“Rhode Island is the Ocean State and Newport, the City by the Sea …the sailing heritage here is huge,” says Team Alvimedica skipper Charlie Enright.

Anyone who has ever been enchanted by the stories and style of maritime America will be charmed and fascinated by the authentically familiar atmosphere of this beautifully situated, seaport town. In May 2015, the Volvo Ocean Race visits Newport for the first time. The U.S.’s spiritual home of sailing seems the obvious place to hold an ocean race.

airport:

distance:

From airport: 126km; 42 km From city centre: 5 km

matches were contested from 1930-1983. Two Volvo Ocean Race campaigns by PUMA Ocean Racing were based out of Newport Shipyard, and Team Alvimedica has followed their example. “I was fortunate to grow up in Bristol [half an hour away], so Narragansett Bay has always been at my doorstep,” explains Enright. “You can’t walk down the street without hearing people talk about the events of sailing’s past. It’s where the marine industry has its biggest foothold, and it’s been that way for years. Newport is proud, and excited, to host a stopover.” The presence of Enright’s team throughout the pre-race period has done much to heighten the locals’ anticipation of the world’s best sailors coming to town.

newport race village Boston Logan International (BOS); T.F. Green (PVD)

climate (may):

19-23ºC average; 100 mm rainfall; Low of 9ºC greetings:

How was the water today?

Information

newport

usa

ABOUT newportnd know:

Newport is making its first-ever appearance in the race. see:

The Breakers mansions; Ocean Drive; Fort Adams State Park taste:

‘Chowda’; Clam Cakes; Lobster tell:

Newport is steeped in sailing and maritime history – known widely as the site of the America’s Cup from 1930 to 1983.

leg 7

On paper, Leg 7 seems a sprint compared to mighty legs that have gone before. But the legacy of legendary transatlantic crossings and the ferocity of the North Atlantic in springtime say otherwise. Newport

newport - lisbon May 17, 2015 2,800 nm

LEg start

Distance

Ports

The fleet has the best chances of reaching 24-hour distances not seen since the opening days of Leg 1, particularly in the flat seas early on

Lisbon

As the return to Europe looms into view, so does the enormous scale of the race: by now, the crews have sailed nearly 90% of the miles they signed up for – enough to lap the planet 1.4 times. Yet a third of the race’s points remain up for grabs. From here, focus is vital. The tiniest error or misjudgement can cost decisive points. The opening stages of this last ocean crossing see the fleet pass Nova Scotia and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland; the sailors face the possibility of spending days shrouded in energy-sapping cold fog.

Expect the unexpected. Detailed weather data exists in these waters and the teams will keep each other guessing about when to launch the descent into Lisbon.

“This leg will be nice because we are coming home and it marks the end of the oceanic sections of the race”

A northern limit (ice gate) protects the fleet from Titanic-sized icebergs but round-theclock alertness is a must. As the teams exit the restricted zone, the Atlantic opens up as a huge playground for the navigators. French navigator Nicolas Lunven aboard MAPFRE, is looking forward to his first West-to-East crossing of the Atlantic: “Getting out of the depressions in the North to find the best way to the [Trade Winds] in the South and the approach to Portugal will be most crucial.” Once crossed, the final 50 miles into Lisbon’s Tagus Estuary can turn the fleet inside-out. In 2012, winds and tides converted an open race in to a nail-biting tortoise-and-hare chase to the finish. After 11 days’ sailing, only four hours separated the first and last boat’s arrival into dock. It was a mesmerising Lisbon spring night for all who were there to see it.

Your race. How Maersk Line delivers the race village experience to you

Alicante ESP Abu Dhabi UAE

Atlantic Ocean

Sanya CHN

Indian Ocean Auckland NZL

START

Cape Town RSA

As a proud and passionate partner of The Volvo Ocean Race, we decided to do what we do best: leverage our expertise and innovative minds to create a simple and reliable shipping solution that allows us to deliver the race village to you. To this end, we have organised not one but two batches of ninety 40-foot containers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on two different Maersk Line vessels travelling in two separate routes with identical

sets of equipment. So by the time one race village reaches one stop-over, another race village will be on route to the next. Delivering the Volvo Ocean 65 cross section, the leaderboard & trophy, the boatyard and the rest of the race village is a long and exciting journey. Together the routes span 61,213 nautical miles, which is more than 113,000 kilometers.

Maersk Line is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest container shipping company with more than

Artic

Delivered.

c Ocean

Gothenburg SWE e Hague NED Newport USA Lorient FRA

Atlantic Ocean Lisbon POR

Pacific Ocean Itajai BRA

By comparison, if you were to travel the Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface in a straight line from the North Pole to the South Pole, you would only cover a distance of approximately 20,000 kilometers. We hope you enjoy the race village experience. Maersk Line Official Shipping Partner of The Volvo Ocean Race and The Dongfeng Race Team.

32,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on:

FINISH

Southern Ocean

Volvo Ocean Race Maersk Line route I Distance (NM): 35,228 CO2 emissions (MT): 711 Maersk Line route II Distance (NM): 25,985 CO2 emissions (MT): 368

When the 2014-15 fleet docks at Lisbon Race Village in May, it will be the first time the race crews have set foot on European soil for nearly eight months. Having conquered the oceans, arrival in Lisbon is a welcome sign that the race is nearing its conclusion.

Visiting

lisbon

por

lisbon race village airport:

Lisbon International (LIS) distance:

From airport: 15 km From city centre: 10 km climate (june):

race village opens:

May 25 pro-am racing:

June 4 & 5 in-port race:

June 6 leg 8 start:

June 7

Few remember arriving in Lisbon better than Ian Walker (Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing): “I didn’t have much time to relax. As soon as we finished, we became aware of all the boats and the amazing setting with the fireworks.” Walker and his men had just taken victory in Leg 7 in front of a vocal late-night crowd: “I had not had much sleep and I was very emotional when we returned to the dock. What a welcome!” As the fleet sails up the Tagus River to end Leg 7 they complete a voyage that retraces 19th century trade routes. Lisbon, the only European capital located on the Atlantic coastline, offers a rich palette of and old and new: the Moorish Castle of São Jorge perched high on the hilltop with the paths and alleys of the Alfama district snaking down its southern slope. Newer constructions include the elegant Vasco de Gama Bridge, Parque das Nações (Park of Nations) and the gracefully modern football stadiums of local football powers Sporting and Benfica.

The in-port race takes place in a picturesque Portuguese amphitheatre of rare beauty and drama. The iconic 25 de Abril Bridge, Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries all stand in honour of Portugal’s powerful seafaring legacy and provide an energising and fitting backdrop to this, the pinnacle of modern-day seamanship.

The people are warm, fun-loving and as authentic as the city they proudly inhabit On shore, the people are warm, funloving and as authentic as the city they proudly inhabit. Great food, drink and entertainment are abundant and fill the senses. Lisbon, Rainha do Mar (Queen of the Sea), plays its role majestically as the race transitions from the new world back to the old.

greetings:

Olá (Hello); Bom dia (Good morning); Boa tarde (Good afternoon) Information

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21-26ºC daytime average; 20 mm rainfall; Low of 16ºC

ABOUT lisbonnd know:

Lisbon is making its second appearance in the race see:

Cristo Rei statue; Jeronimos monastery; Alfama taste:

Açorda à alentejana (bread stew); Polvo assado no forno (baked octopus); Pastéis de Belém (vanilla custard tart) tell:

Located in Belém, Lisbon Race Village marks the departure point for Vasco da Gama’s epic passage to India

leg 8 lisbon - lorient 647 nm June 7, 2015

Ports Distance LEG Start

Leg 8 might be the shortest leg in the race but it demands nothing less than a perfect team performance. The sailors know too well how terrible conditions and fatigue have seen race fortunes lost in the scramble to Lorient. The route from Portugal to France is as twofaced as any giant ocean leg. Early sailing up the Iberian coast can be sluggish while storms in the Bay of Biscay can push teams to their limits. Tiredness can slow teamwork and lead to costly losses.

In 2012, Groupama 4 led the fleet to an ecstatic hometown crowd. Their popular win ended up giving them match point for the title when their direct rivals saw their hopes – along with three rudders – crumble within a few excruciating hours.

“I’ve crossed Biscay so many times but I’m not sure it’s that simple to understand!” explains MAPFRE navigator, Nico Lunven. “In this area we can expect every kind of weather, and every sea state. Even in summer it can look like winter.”

The teams must show how well they can cope with Cape Finisterre – a dense shipping zone with its own unique meteorology. Once in the Bay of Biscay, watch for the influence of French crewmembers. This is their backyard. Local knowledge proved decisive in 2012, but it is still a place where it is easy to get things wrong.

Lorient, the home of French offshore racing, has a ravenous passion for ocean sailing. With so much at stake and a knowing crowd in waiting, the teams will be giving as much of themselves as they have ever given.

Fish traps and shipping traffic create obstacles. Any snag or evasive manoeuvre can be enough to lose contact with the fleet.

Lorient

Lisbon

Weather patterns can change quickly off Cape Finisterre. Cutting corners can easily leave a boat without wind

race village opens:

June 9 pro-am racing:

June 13 & 15 in-port race:

June 14 leg 9 start:

June 16

It is a place entwined and enchanted with offshore sailing, a sport that attracts a fervent following in France. Located on the south coast of Brittany, the 60,000-strong town enjoys close bonds with races like the single-handed Route du Rhum and Vendée Globe, as well as the Trophée Jules Verne – awarded for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation. “It’s one of the only places where you find a huge variety of boats, from 6.5 metres to the biggest offshore trimarans in the world,” Caudrelier continues. “Lorient carries a rich maritime history; you only have to look at the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race to see that its magic is passed on to everyone who visits.” Caudrelier is one of several French racers who will attract special attention – and scrutiny – in this sailing-mad cauldron of offshore adventure. The race’s last visit to Lorient in 2012 brought the locals to their vocal best. Home-grown skipper Franck Cammas delighted his compatriots with an imposing display of sailing aboard Groupama 4.

Visiting

“Lorient is both my workplace and my home. Today it is one of the most dynamic offshore sailing harbours in the world,” explains Charles Caudrelier of Dongfeng Race Team.

The memory of Éric Tabarly, the father of French sailing (and four-time race entrant), radiates from every part of Lorient – also a thriving commercial, naval, and fishing port. Located in the shadow of former German U-Boot base, Lorient Race Village has a distinctly defiant Breton air, with boisterous open-air bars and delicious food and wine on hand to keep the sailing debates going long into the night. Amid the tension of the last race, sideshows such as a crêpe-making championship for the skippers provided light-hearted diversions, while revealing the temperament of the locals: ‘Out there you are heroes, but here you are one of us’. Lorient’s embrace of the spirit of this race is warm and sincere.

airport:

distance:

From airport: 7 km From city centre: 3 km climate (june):

When Cammas and his men went on to clinch the 2011-12 title days later, few of Lorient’s experts were surprised.

“Out there you are heroes, but here you are one of us”

lorient race village Lorient South Brittany (LRT)

21-26ºC daytime average; 20 mm rainfall; Low of 16ºC greetings:

Bonjour (Hello/Good morning); Bonsoir (Good evening) Information

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lorient

fra

ABOUT lorientnd know:

Lorient, the home of offshore sailing, hosts the race for the second time see:

Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly maritime museum; Ile de Groix (island); Musée de la Compagnie des Indes art and history museum taste:

Artichauds de Bretagne (artichokes served with vinaigrette or crême fraiche); Moules frites (mussels & french fries) tell:

Sailing is so integral to life in Lorient that all children receive free sailing lessons while at primary school

leg 9

Gothenburg awaits possibly the closest racing of all

lorient - Gothenburg (via The Hague)

and a gripping finale

With racing suspended in the Hague, weather changes at the restart could see teams lose any early gains made since Lorient

Gothenburg

Lobster pots can stop a boat dead in its tracks. Major tidal changes pose problems too as the teams approach the English Channel

960 nm June 16, 2015

Ports Distance LEG Start

Crews will be tiring in the approach to the finish.

The Hague

Lorient

Fired up by the bravado of the Lorient crowds, the sailors enter this leg knowing a shared adventure is coming to an end. This final leg will be emotionally charged. The high stakes of a tense finish may be the tipping-point for some.

Besides the emotions, the teams have plenty of sailing to focus on. Twists and turns are needed to avoid tricky tides, craggy coastlines and man-made obstacles like shipping and wind farms. “You don’t sleep as much because you really have to push all the way,” explains Martin Strömberg (Dongfeng Race Team). From his last job on Groupama 4, Strömberg how it feels to seal overall race honours on the final leg. Strömberg explains the biggest manmade obstacle may be rival tactics: “After Lisbon we have to look at the leaderboard and race accordingly. If we are behind we have to hunt people down; if we are ahead we have to stay ahead of the immediate threat.”

Adding to the tension, a 24-hour pitstop in The Hague means the most determined finishers must put their racing reflexes on hold. The sailors will have to take care not to slip out of race mode and focus on storing up food and sleep for the ride to the line. With the possibility of leaving The Hague in completely different winds to the ones that brought them in, the staggered restart gives the teams as many headaches as ever. Then they begin their charge for the race finish line, their charge for glory, and the exit point to a life less extreme.

Known internationally as a city of justice, there will be little peace for the duration of the fleet’s 24-hour stay in The Hague. The Dutch capital provides the race with a rare pit-stop en route to the Gothenburg finish line.

Visiting

the hague

ned

the hague race village airport:

Rotterdam The Hague (RTM) distance:

From airport: 27 km From city centre: 5 km

race village opens:

June 19 leg 9 pit-stop:

June 19 leg 9 start:

June 20

100

A lively programme of concerts and entertainment promises to keep the race village in high spirits. But while race visitors enjoy the festivities, halting the race means interrupting the sailors’ momentum. Carolijn Brouwer (Team SCA) explains: “The main thing for us as a team is not to let go of the adrenaline and the intensity of the racing rhythm we are in. We can’t take our foot off the throttle, so we need to find a way to keep everyone in racing mode.” The teams need to work around public and sponsor engagements and ensure they get vital rest. Weather and route strategies need to be worked out. Much can change in a day. For local fans, The Hague offers a chance to cheer on Team Brunel and the largest contingent of Dutch sailors to feature in the race for some time. Brouwer is one of them: “I think it will be huge. There is a really big sailing community, especially with big boats and big events. The Hague

20-24ºC daytime average; 85 mm rainfall; Low of 12ºC

is very supportive of sailing and of sports and they have been trying hard to get sports events into the city.” Brouwer is a local and recommends: “Go and visit the beach and have a nice cold beer in one of the beach cafes. If it’s a bit chilly then you can hang out in one of the cosy courtyards – it’s a nice place to catch up with friends.”

There will be little peace for the duration of the fleet’s 24-hour stay in The Hague More than being an exclusively Dutch celebration, the pit-stop offers supporters of all teams one last chance to get close to the teams, as they prepare to re-enter the North Sea and bring their great adventure to a close.

greetings:

Hallo (Hello); Goedemorgen (Good morning); Goedemiddag (Good afternoon) Information

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climate (june):

ABOUT the haguend know:

The Hague is making its first appearance in the race see:

The Hague Market; Panorama Mesdag taste:

Bitterballen (fried ball of chopped beef, butter, herbs and spices); Stroopwafels (waffle with syrup) tell:

The Scheveningen district of The Hague is among the Netherlands’ favourite beach and watersports locations

REST, REFRESH, RECHARGE IN THE HAGUE 19-20 June 2015: Volvo Ocean Race 24-hour Pit-stop • International city of peace and justice • Famous port and beach of Scheveningen known for its perfect sailing, surﬁng and beach sports • Host of the 2015 Beach Volleyball World Championships and the 2014 Hockey World Cup • Second UN city in the world • Over 500,000 residents • Residence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima • Seat of the Dutch government • Home to the Mauritshuis Museum and Vermeer’s world-famous painting ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring’

www.denhaag.com

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race village opens:

June 21 pro-am racing:

June 25 & 26 in-port race:

June 27 final prize giving:

June 27

102

Visiting

Here, the finish line not only marks the end of a leg, but the end of a gruelling, dangerous, glorious voyage.

Gothenburg race village airport:

Göteborg Landvetter (GOT); Göteborg City (GSE) distance:

The approach to Gothenburg is the final test facing the sailors after all the pain, anguish and exhilaration of sport’s longest, toughest ride. A gigantic crowd flanks the city’s waterways, electrified by the enormity of a truly unique sporting occasion. The last man to win a final leg into Gothenburg is best to describe the sensation of arriving. Race legend, Paul Cayard, was skippering Pirates of the Caribbean that day in 2006: “We rounded the lighthouse, one boat-length ahead with three knots of wind. There were hundreds of launches following us,” he remembers. “It was a tense 20 miles down the channel. We held on to win in front of 300,000 spectators. It was a fantastic way to finish a round-the-world race …unlimited celebration!” In Scandinavia’s largest port, the people feel a sense of ownership towards the Volvo Ocean Race – perhaps understandably so in a city with so many Volvo employees. But, in reality, it’s a sense rooted in self-identity: Gothenburg’s proud shipbuilding heritage and fond memories of heroic – sometimes mad – Swedish exploits in this race are the platform that this giant celebration of sailing is built on.

“Swedes are big fans of the race, even when it was the Whitbread. The public there are more into the Volvo than the America’s Cup,” explains Martin Strömberg of Dongfeng Race Team. He has spent his life near the port city and is probably more motivated than any to arrive here: “Coming into Gothenburg is the moment for me.” Strömberg also has the distinction of being able to finish a nine-month, globeencompassing voyage, and then go home afterwards by bike.

Dreams are realised. Dreams are crushed. Families embrace bodies battered by the hardships of lapping the planet The longest, most complex story in sport ends in the centre of Gothenburg, on the Göta älv (Gothia river). The grand arrival coincides with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It’s an occasion always celebrated wildly in Sweden, but this year, with sailing history to celebrate and so many nationalities in town, things might get a little extreme. Skål!

From airport: 28 km From city centre: 14 km climate (june):

17-21ºC daytime average; 46 mm rainfall; Low of 12ºC greetings:

Hej! (Hello); God morgon (Good morning); God eftermiddag (Good afternoon) Informations

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Gothenburg

swe

ABOUT Gothenburgnd know:

Gothenburg is making its third appearance in the race and marks only the second time that the race has finished in Sweden see:

Carl Milles’ statue of Poseidon; Liseberg amusement park; Southern Göteborg archipelago; Volvo Museum taste:

Köttbullar (meatballs); Sill (pickled herring); Kräftskivor (crayfish), Prinsesstårta (green celebration cake) tell:

Gothenburg is the home to the headquarters of Volvo Group and Volvo Car Group

finish

103

The winners of the world’s longest, toughest race take home the Volvo Ocean Race Trophy

Sailing for silverware Among all the prizes in ocean sailing, this is the one that means the most. It is coveted not just because of what it takes to win it, but because of the huge commitment needed just to take part. Each of its rings represents an edition of the race. Over 11 races since 1973, nearly 2,000 sailors have dedicated large parts of their lives to winning it. We recap some of the most remarkable moments that lie behind the trophy’s engravings.

104

MOST HEROIC MOMENT

MOST TERRIFYING MOMENT

Only three days after suffering the devastating loss of crewman Hans Horrevoets, the desolate crew of ABN AMRO Two again found themselves in a life-or-death situation. Three hundred miles from the English coast, race rivals, movistar, had suffered critical failure and her crew were forced to abandon their boat – along with any hope of finishing the 2005-06 race. French skipper, Sebastien Josse, turned ABN AMRO Two back to rescue movistar’s crew, before bringing them to the safety of land – only an hour after transferring their friend’s body to a Dutch naval ship. Several sailors aboard both boats that day are competing in this edition of the race as mates and as rivals. It’s a powerful reminder of the deep bonds that exist between athletes who share common adventures.

In 1973, ocean racing was a wholly new concept. It was the first-ever edition of the race and 19 boats had assembled to be part of the sport’s new frontier. Bravado was high but boats were only built to withstand what their amateur owners could conceive of. That didn’t include the worst of the Southern Ocean, which tragically claimed two sailors’ lives in the space of days. Twelve days out of Cape Town, British army corporal, Paul Waterhouse, was swept off the deck of Tauranga. Four days later, Frenchman, Dominique Guillet, sailing Export 33, suffered a similar fate. Both boats went on to finish the race.

MOST ECSTATIC MOMENT “It gets in your blood and you can’t get rid of it.” For many, the indomitable character of sailing legend Peter Blake best personified the spirit of this race. Undeterred by failing to finish his first race and coming last in his second, the New Zealander made it his life’s goal to win the race his way. After two brave but fruitless attempts as skipper, he finally looked to have got the formula right in 1989-90 with the majestic, twin-masted Steinlager 2. But he was pushed hard every step of the way by another determined New Zealander, Grant Dalton. Over six gigantic legs, the pair delivered a duel of epic proportions. To see an ocean saga transformed into a pursuit race was mesmerising. When Blake finally sealed victory in Southampton, no one could begrudge the passionate New Zealander his prize and the rich career that followed until his untimely death in 2001 when he was shot by pirates in the Amazon during an expedition surveying environmental change.

MOST INTENSE MOMENT The history of this race has seen countless moments of intensity. But for sheer dimension, it is hard to look past the closing stages of the last race in 2012. After Spain’s Telefónica had dominated the first half of the course, the French entry Groupama 4 steadily closed down the Spanish lead with disciplined, consistent sailing. With the fleet back in Europe, Iker Martínez’s men on Telefónica were desperate to make an emphatic statement and stay in the hunt. For Leg 8, they threw everything they had – leading the fleet into the Bay of Biscay in the fastest conditions of the entire race. Suddenly, in the night, they lost three rudders in the space of six furious hours, enabling Groupama’s Franck Cammas to win the leg and seize control of the leader board before a rapturous home crowd in Lorient. For Martínez, it was “like two years’ work just disappearing in a matter of minutes…what a mess.”

1973-74

Sayula II (mex)

Skipper: R amón C arlin

1977-78

Flyer (ned)

Skipper: C ornelis

1981-82

R ietschoten

van

R ietschoten

Flyer (ned)

Skipper: C ornelis

1985-86

van

L’esprit d’Équipe (fra) Skipper: L ionel P éan

1989-90

Steinlager 2 (nzl) Skipper: P eter B lake

1993-94

New ZeAland Endeavour (nzl) Skipper: G rant D alton

yamaha (jpn)

Skipper: R oss F ield

1997-98

ef language (swe) Skipper: P aul C ayard

2001-02

Illbruck Challenge (ger) Skipper: J ohn K ostecki

2005-06

ABN AMRO ONE (ned)

Skipper: M ike S anderson

2008-09

ericsson 4 (swe)

Skipper: T orben G rael

2011-12

groupama 4 (fra)

Skipper: F ranck C ammas

Whitbread Round The World Race Volvo Ocean Race 105

PUT YOURSELF IN THE PICTURE Get your photo taken at the helm of a Volvo Ocean 65 Navigate your way to the Volvo Ocean 65 Cross Section exhibition, located in the main public area of the race village. Tag your photo and share it on social media.

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NAVIGATION

From the loft For 2014-15, Musto have been called upon to provide the race with an official collection for the third time, but the ocean-inspired and engineered brand has been deeply involved in outfitting race teams in every race since 1977

Gothenburg Jacket. Gore-Tex®. 450€ Alicante Jacket. Showerproof, fleece-lined. 150€ Both by MUSTO 1. Backpack by MUSTO Moisture-wicking back panel. 90€ 2. Alicante Gilet FW. Showerproof, fleece-lined. 120€ 3. Ladies Hoodie. Cotton. 90€ 4. Ladies Premium Polo. Cotton. 50€ All by MUSTO

It’s one of sailing’s authentic names – a common sight on oceans, piers and sailing club terraces around the world. Musto understand sailors’ expectations and the crossover appeal of sailing style better than anyone. Beccy Evans is senior sailing designer at Musto and was in charge of putting the official race collection together: “The idea behind the range was to take Musto’s technical garment expertise and fuse this with the race identity to create ranges for men and women that reflect the race and what it represents.” Bold graphics on several styles draw attention to the race’s extremes as well as marking the arrival into competition of the Volvo Ocean 65. Large ‘splash’ graphics on the jacket and bag ranges provide a tone-ontone ‘wet-look’ detail for a subtle, sporty look.

components are complemented with details such as hang-loops that have a carbon-fibre effect and safety-colour highlights. These provide a visual link back to the materials used on the race boats.”

“The range is 100% grounded in sailing, so we selected performance fabrics and technical details.” Waterproof breathable fabrics like Gore-Tex® feature in the top-of-the-range

Musto’s iconic caps feature a collar clip: “We’ve been adding clips to our caps for 20 years,” explains Evans. “Being in the wind, sailors tend to lose a lot of headwear.” Finally, a colourful range of kids’ tees and caps provides something for young race fans. “Wisdom (the race’s albatross mascot) proved such a hit in the last race, we knew we had to have him in this collection.” The race has a long association with the conservation of the albatross and Wisdom is the ambassador of that relationship.

styles. These pieces carry the features and fabrication quality that offshore sailors depend on. Other styles make use of waterproof zips, microfleece and waterproof-coated sport fabrics – all executed in fresh tones of classical marine colours. “Performance

As well as visiting the official race store in each race village, fans can find the race collection online and in selected authorised Musto dealers worldwide.

5. Rip Wallet by MUSTO Velcro closure, internal pockets. 20€ 6. Conference/Laptop case. Hard-wearing nylon. 40€ 7. Navigators Case. Lightweight, multiple pockets. 90€ Both by MUSTO 8. Volvo 65 T-Shirt by MUSTO. Cotton. 30€ 9. Alicante Jacket by MUSTO. Showerproof, fleece-lined. 150€ 10. Volvo Ocean Race Sunglasses. Floating. With case + cloth. 60€ 11. Volvo Ocean Race iPad Case. Carbon-effect. 35€ 12. Small Carryall by MUSTO. Versatile sailorstyle kit bag. 50€

musto.com/volvo-ocean-race 108

The Volvo Ocean Race collection was kindly modelled by members of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing: Ian Walker, Adil Khalid, Simon Fisher, Luke Parkinson, Kate Ashley and Alexandra Wardall.

2,3 & 4

6&7

Official Race Book: Pre-order and save

Pre-order the official post-race book and save 20% off the cover price.

(Offer applies to orders received via the race’s official online store before April 12, 2015)

The ultimate memento of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 will be a beautifully designed package combining stories with the race’s very best images. At a glance Approx. 200 pages Hard cover & dust-jacket High quality photography Designer layout €32.90

9,10 & 11

Delivery October 2015

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Sailing Intelligence 110

LIFE HACKS ARE LOW-BUDGET TIPS THAT MAKE LIFE EASIER MAPFRE’S NICO LUNVEN SHARED WITH MARCUS HUTCHINSON A FEW OF HIS FAVOURITE NUGGETS OF SAILOR COMMON-SENSE THAT APPLY AS WELL TO LIFE ON LAND AS AT SEA

PACK TIGHT, NOT LIGHT

LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

In the cramped living confines of a Volvo Ocean 65, choosing what to take on board and what to leave behind can’t be left to the free will of individuals; democracy is the only solution. “Every crew member is given the same-sized waterproof holdall. You can take anything you want with you, so long as it fits in the bag.” Fortunately, bulky items like boots and oilskins are stored in the shared locker, for drying and quick access. But for the rest, all a sailor has to fall back on his (or her) bag…and ingenuity: “Vacuum-packing each set of clothes saves a lot of volume. It doesn’t make it any lighter, but it’s nice to know that however wet things get, a new set of fresh, dry clothes is always on hand.”

“It’s often noisy – too noisy – to communicate properly with other people on the boat without screaming your head off. The wind takes words away with it, so we revert to sign language, reduced instructions and key words to execute many of our set-plays on board. Thumbs-up/thumbs-down is pretty universal but there are other signs, gestures and calls that quickly get the desired message across. A finger pointing up and swinging around means ‘more on’, a fist in the air means HOLD, or STOP, and so on.” Verbal language can be complex and ambiguous even in more sedate work and play environments.

MARK WITH AN ‘X’ SPICE IT UP It doesn’t take the extremes of a dehydrated food diet to make mealtimes dull and repetitive: “We don’t have fresh food on board and we are forced to supplement everything with a lot of rice and pasta. It’s incredible what a tablespoon of really good olive oil can do to a dish, along with a few drops of Tabasco… marvellous stuff! And the greatest cheese of all – and this is from a Frenchman – is Parmesan. It lasts forever!! Some grated Parmesan on hot rice or pasta along with the olive oil and Tabasco…outstanding!!!”

DOUBT ‘EXPERTS’ Do you rely too much on Wikipedia? Or accept things as fact without questioning them? “Just the other day I was looking at wind files that were predicting 48 knots of wind in an area we were due to sail through. A few hours later, the forecast for the same place was predicting just 25 knots! That’s wrong by a factor of 2!!” If you base your decision-making on a single source of inaccurate information, don’t be surprised if the results fall below your expectations. “Watching the clouds, observing the direction and size of the waves and deliberating the ‘facts’ with your crewmates can help you work out what’s really going on. A certain amount of scepticism and gut-instinct goes a long way.”

“Imagine if you went off on a three-week leg and forgot to take matches to light the stove with.” Each person on the boat is responsible for a certain department – food, sails, navigation, engineering, first aid, etc. Each of these key performance areas has a checklist for parts and equipment that must be on board before the boat leaves the dock for the start line. “Then there is the personal checklist. You don’t want to forget your boots or your sunglasses – or your spare sunglasses, for that matter.” Checklists have been passed down from previous campaigns and modified to suit the boat and crew: “They are so simple, but unbelievably important. I use one at home for all sorts of things, especially when going away on a trip or on holiday.”

Honourable mentions More simple life-skills from the ocean… …Dancing in the dark: In the black night of the open ocean or in power-failure situations, a LED headtorch is invaluable and costs less than a candle (those fancy scented ones at least): “I always keep one in the glove compartment of my car so that if I need to fix something in the dark I have two free hands and perfect visibility.” …Work out your ‘out’: Making calls from the middle of the ocean on a satellite phone is an expensive exercise...yes, even more than roaming fees. Before hitting that green button, have your diplomatic good-bye worked out in advance. A little charm can help avoid a big charge. …Go digital: All the technical equipment on board a Volvo Ocean 65 would need kilos and kilos of paper-based operating and maintenance manuals. Korean instructions for an automatic toilet? Not needed. Download digital versions and index them for easy searching in those rare cases of emergency.

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Official Global Satellite Communications Partner

Official Destination Partner

Official Timekeeper

Official Supplier of Sailing Apparel and Footwear

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Official Satellite and Radio Communications Equipment Partner

Official Shipping Partner

Official Logistics Provider

Official Supplier of Marine Power Systems

Official Supplier to the Volvo Ocean 65 Class

Official IT SupplierÂ

Official Mobile Services Provider

Official Video Streaming Services Provider

Official Supplier to the Volvo Ocean 65 Class

Official Camera

CREDITS

Picture Editor Carmen Hidalgo

Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Ian Roman/Volvo Ocean Race - MUSTO

Matt Knighton/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

Rick Tomlinson/Team SCA

Yvan Zedda/ Dongfeng Race Team

Sam Greenfield/Volvo Ocean Race

Corinna Halloran/Team SCA

Francisco Vignale/ MAPFRE

Santur/ ItajaĂ

Brian Carlin/Team Vestas Wind

Yann Riou/Dongfeng Race Team

Gilles Martin-Raget/ Team Alvimedica

Diana Bogaards

Green Marine

Carmen Hidalgo/ Volvo Ocean Race

Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica

PSI/Victor Fraile/ Dongfeng Race Team

Sander van der Borch/ Team Brunel

Marien Llorens/ Alicante

Mark Bow/Volvo Ocean Race

Dick Gillberg/ Gothenburg

Corey Arnold

Alan Lan

Hamish Hooper/ Camper ETNZ

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Credit: Photographer Corinna Halloran/Team SCA

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