VOLVO OCEAN RACEOpen 70 Racer Il Mostro Leaves Newport for Spain to prepare for 2008 Volvo Ocean Race.
Those of us second-guessing the skippers can do the same thing, which can make for a much richer experience and lead to a better understanding of the thinking behind racing strategies. What follows are a primer on some of the largest races, along with information on how they can be watched online.
Of course, there are thousands of sailing races around the globe, ranging from the America's Cup to the beer can races at the local yacht club, and any list of the top contests is bound to become a target of debate. But a certain few regularly pit man and boat against nature in a way that, most sailors would agree, is worth watching.
THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE
http://www.volvooceanrace.org/
This may be the mother of all races. It has its roots in the former Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, which began in 1973 with a fleet of 17 yachts and was organized by the Royal Naval Sailing Association with sponsorship from its namesake London-based brewery. The Whitbread was the first-ever attempt at a global, crewed yacht race and was held every four years, departing from Portsmouth, England.
After the 1997-98 race, Volvo, then a major sponsor, took over total ownership and management of the Whitbread and the race was renamed the Volvo Ocean Race, debuting under that name in 2001-2002.
The Volvo Ocean Race will be run again this year, only two years after the last race – another example of the growing segment of high-end, open-class ocean racing. This year, the race will launch from Alicante, the port in southern Spain, on October 11, after a week of in-port racing. The legs of the race take the sailors to Cape Town, Cochin (India), Singapore, Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg, Stockholm and finally St. Petersburg.
The Volvo race has also contributed perhaps the ultimate in monohull sailboat design to the racing world – The Volvo Open 70. These boats represent the pinnacle of monohull, ocean-going design and are the fastest monohull sailboats in the world. The boats employ the latest in design, materials and technology, including innovations like the canting keel and exotic composite materials. Since their first appearance in the 2005-2006 race, the Volvo Open 70s have evolved to include design elements that improve durability, safety and ease of operation.
THE FASTNET
The Fastnet, named after the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland that marks the midpoint of the race, was first sailed in 1925, and has run biennially since the 1930s. It is a 608-mile race from the Isle of Wight, around Fastnet Rock, and back to Plymouth, England. It is a difficult race, testing both inshore and offshore skills across a stretch of ocean considered to be among the most treacherous in the world.
The race has been sponsored by Rolex since 2001, and is officially known now as the Rolex Fastnet Race. It is organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Royal Western Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron. More than 300 boats and 2,500 crewmembers participated in the 2007 competition.
SYDNEY HOBART
The annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has been run for the last 63 years and vies with the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race for popularity and media coverage. Australians consider it to be one of the major summer sporting events in their country. The 638-mile race is run between Christmas and New Year's, running from Sydney to Hobart, the capital of the Tasmanian state. Like the Fastnet, the racers can experience some of the worst ocean weather in the world, even though the race is held relatively close to shore.
