Leeuwin Estate Founder and Chairman Mr Denis Horgan is excited about the new partnership.

“Given our strong positioning in the global marketplace, we are delighted to have joined forces with Perth 2011, which truly is a world-class international sporting Event. Teaming with an Olympic qualifying Event of the international calibre of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, complements our brand profile across Australia and internationally. Leeuwin Estate has enjoyed a previous association with sailing through our activities with the America’s Cup when it was held in Fremantle and our sponsorship of the sail training ship, The Leeuwin.”

“This is a great opportunity to retain our connection with the international sailing community. We plan to have a signature Perth 2011 wine available promoting our association with the World Championships, but this is just one element of what we have planned for the next two years.”

Acting Event Director Darren Beazley commented

“I am delighted that Denis Horgan and the dedicated team at Leeuwin Estate have signed on as the official wine partner to the World Championships. Leeuwin Estate is synonymous with Western Australia and is internationally renowned for producing wines that rank alongside the world’s finest, whilst also being recognised as a leader in wine tourism. Leeuwin’s quality products, combined with their well-established reputation in the wine and tourism industries, provided a perfect match to align with the World Championships, to be staged in Perth in December 2011.”

The course and dates for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 have now been officially announced. The racing format and stopover schedule features a number of innovations the most notable sees the event conclude with an In-Port race in the finish port of Galway. Importantly for sponsors and the media, the race will visit eight stopover ports on five continents and race through four oceans, in under nine months. This makes the Volvo Ocean Race one of the only truly global sailing properties with a physical footprint in the worlds largest and emerging markets.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said there were two clear aims.

“Firstly we have reduced the time the teams are onshore and the time they have between the In-Port and the Leg Start. Traditionally the teams would change their yachts from an offshore sailing mode to an inshore racing one and back again for the Leg start. By bringing the two events together we lower the costs to them and their sponsors. We have also achieved more time for the shore crews to work on the yachts and subsequently the sailors get more time off.

“Secondly we can entertain the local public with the spectacle that is the Volvo Ocean Race on the water, for a long weekend of great racing and thrilling viewing. We hope by providing the local spectators with this on-the-water display, we will increase the public’s awareness and passion for the sport of sailing.”

The format of the stopovers goes like this:

• The Pro-Am races will be first on the agenda for the weekend, where the power of the Volvo Open 70s are showcased to the public and race guests.
• The second day sees the Volvo Ocean Race teams battle it out in two In-Port races, which count to their overall points tally. The short course of the In-Port races and the proximity to the stopover harbours and beaches, will allow the public to watch the racing up close.
• The finale to the long weekend is the Leg start.

The start and finish ports also have a revamped schedule. Alicante will have a week of festivals between the In-Port and Pro-Am race weekend and the start of Leg One to Cape Town. Galway will be the first finish city in the event’s history to stage an inshore race after the final leg.

There will be no scoring gates in this edition of the race but the fleet will still pass round some famous islands. On Leg One the fleet will pass the island of Fernando de Noronha, 200 nautical miles off the Brazilian coast as the first proper rounding mark of the race.

Due to increasing pirate attacks and hijacking off the coast of Somalia, the fleet will sail around an exclusion zone, which will be added to this area nearer race time.

On Leg Eight from Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France the fleet heads offshore again for a 1,940-nautical mile leg, rounding the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores before heading back towards the northwest coast of France. The Fastnet Rock is the last landmark the sailors will catch sight of before their final sprint up the west coast of Ireland to Galway.

The Volvo Open 70′s will cover over 39,270 nautical miles racing around the globe.

Official Schedule – PDF

It was no surprise that Brazil, which has welcomed the fleet on six previous occasions dating back to 1973-74 when Rio De Janeiro began its long association with the race, would play host once again to the round the world race, though three countries and eight cities bid for the opportunity to host the 2011-12 fleet.

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, and a team member of the 2005-06 Brasil 1 project, said:

“We are pleased to confirm Itajaí’s inclusion in our race around the world. After rounding Cape Horn, our racing teams will truly appreciate the warm welcome that Brazil is famous for, and it will be the perfect place for the crews to regain their strength after such a testing leg in the southern ocean.”

Acknowledging that winning a stop on the Volvo Ocean Race is about more than just sailing. Santa Catarina, which has received a clutch of national awards for the best tourist destination in Brazil, will use the race to demonstrate its ability to organise large-scale events.

Frostad added:

“The proposal from Itajaí also had strong and positive support from local, regional and central government. This was a key consideration. Itajaí has a strong reputation for boat building. It is important for the sailors who have been through the southern ocean on a very long leg to Brazil to know that support is in place. Itajaí has a great venue which can be transformed into an excellent Race Village for us. And, it’s a beautiful place. I am confident the sailors, sponsors, media, guests and international visitors coming to Itajai for the stopover will have a great experience.”

The American stop has already been leaked, but the Volvo Ocean Race organisers will wait until they have milked all the media they can out of this announcement before officially revealing the next stop.

Sanya, the southernmost city on the golden coast of Hainan Province, China, has won the bid to host the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. Building on the success of the Qingdao stopover during the 2008-09 event, the resort city of Sanya will be the finish of leg three, which starts from Abu Dhabi.

As the 2011-12 route takes shape, the port of Sanya is now confirmed as the only stopover in Asia. Other ports on the course include the start in Alicante, where the Volvo Ocean Race now has its base, stopovers in Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, Lorient and the finish in Galway. The entire route for this classic round the world race will be revealed by the end of March, when details on scoring, leg lengths and other details will be confirmed.

Speaking of the selection of Sanya as Asia’s only port of call, Mr Liu Gang, Deputy Director of the China Water Sports Administration Centre said, “The wonderful memories from the last edition of the race when it visited Qingdao remain fresh in our minds and I would like to congratulate Sanya for being chosen as the new stopover”.

The Vice Mayor of Sanya, Li Baiqing, echoed Mr Liu Gang’s comments and said, “Sanya is honoured to be the only stopover in Asia for the next race. The city will relish the chance to show its charm to the Volvo Ocean Race visitors from around the world”. He also confirmed that Hainan would showcase its achievements and development potential and try to capture the world’s attention during the event.

“The race was held very successfully in Qingdao and has inspired a passion among many Chinese people. It is with great pleasure that we are able to confirm that China will once again be part of the route for 2011-12 and it will be an honour to take the event to Sanya,” commented Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad.

Sanya on the southern tip of Hainan, the only tropical island province in China, features golden sandy beaches and enjoys a good year-round climate. The Sanya Municipal Government will use the Volvo Ocean Race as part of its plans to develop the city into a top international tourism destination. It already has an excellent transport system, which will be integral to the building of a new high-level marina.

Last week, the French press ignored the embargo date for the news that Lorient would be the second European stop and set tongues wagging about how the French stopover may scuttle any chance for Galway to host the race. Some commentators have speculated that the clever PR folks in Alicante have been carefully using the leaks to keep the race announcements in the news, but whatever the strategy, there are a lot of people waiting for the route to be revealed.

Both the Irish Times and the Galway Advertiser are today predicting that rather than lose a stop on the race, Galway will in fact host the finish of the race. The Advertiser is more cautious of the two outlets saying:

To secure the finish of the race would have been thought to have been beyond the wildest dreams of the Galway backers, but in the past few days, it has become a strong possibility…

The paper quotes ‘Let’s Do It Galway’ Chairman John Killeen:

“To compare it to a game of rugby, we are 10 points up with 10 minutes to go. We are nearly there, but not yet, and while I am reasonably confident, there are always pitfalls. The Volvo officials are keeping their cards close to their chest on this one, but the official announcement is expected next Tuesday.”

The Irish Times is more confident, with the headline : “Cowen to detail Volvo race’s Galway finish,” then says;

“Cowen is expected to confirm this week that the next Volvo around the world yacht race will finish in Galway in 2012. Mr Cowen is expected to make the announcement in Dublin, when he will explain that the race festival will be an “all-island” affair.”

The economic benefit of the previous stopover in Galway is well known and the Government has committed €4 million towards the new bid. The Irish Times also reports that the Green Dragon will compete – she will be given a new keel, its sails will also be modified, and all this work will be carried out in Ireland, John Killeen of Let’s Do It Galway has confirmed.

In 2009, Hilary, paralysed from the neck down, became the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain, controlling her boat entirely with her breath using an advanced sip/puff system.

Bainbridge International, along with Jeckells the Sailmakers, will be providing Hilary with the sails she requires for her adapted Class 40 boat to successfully complete the competitive off-shore expedition next year. No stranger to producing sails for high profile campaigns, Bainbridge International has seen their sailcloth used in campaigns such as America’s Cup and the Ellen MacArthur Trust.

Bainbridge International will be working closely with Hilary from now right through to the build up to the start of the race in 2011 and hope that this will be the beginning of a long and successful relationship.

The statement reads:

Ericsson first entered the Volvo Ocean Race in April 2005, but now its journey has drawn to a close. The team’s victory in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 is the perfect closing chapter to the company’s involvement in the globe-girdling race. After having attained overall victory and great business-to-business success, Ericsson has decided not to participate in the 2011-12 edition.

The decision was not easy for Ericsson, since the race has served us extremely well and the feedback from our customers is great. But we achieved everything we hoped for and thus it is now natural to pause and seek out new opportunities.

Ericsson has built its global reputation on the core values of respect, professionalism and perseverance. The results achieved by Ericsson Racing Team both off shore and on shore truly reflect these values. There are many people, partners and colleagues around the world that contributed to our success, too many to mention here. Ericsson Racing Team is champion of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 due to their professionalism and dedication.
To everyone involved we say thank you!

Keep you eyes open for the Nordic Edition of the official Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 book, High Seas, High Stakes, that will be available from November 2009.

Ericsson Racing Team

The latest presentation focussed on technical rule changes to make the race appeal to a larger audience and to limit costs.

VOR CEO Knut Frostad opened the meeting by saying:

“Just like any sailing project the more time we have to prepare ourselves, the better the chances we have of doing a good job,” he said. “Our number one objective is to increase the number of competitors in the next race. We know that we need a larger fleet in the future for the race to be able to reach its full potential.”

“An important element in achieving more boats on the start line in Alicante in 2011 is a reduction of costs and an increase in value for the teams. In the short term, whilst the race is going on and whilst everyone has it fresh in their minds and is focused we have to work on the cost reduction side of the equation. To that end, changes already announced include a reduction in crew members, from 11 to 10, and nearly a 40% reduction in race sails.”

In an effort to encourage female participation, a new rule will allow ‘female’ teams to carry 12 sailors, including the media crew, two of whom may be men. This represents two extra crew members over an all-male crew.

Technical changes were also announced including:

• The maximum weight for the keel fin and bulb will be set at 7,400 kgs in the future.  The fin will be required to be solid, with no fairings permitted.
• The weight of the yacht is to be increased so that it may fit into the range between 14,000 kilograms and 14,500 kilograms.
• Headfoils will be banned; headsails will either be set on furlers or with hanks.
• The overall weight of each yacht’s batteries will be reduced by 100 kgs.
• Each Volvo Open 70 will also be required to carry a renewable energy source capable of generating 80 Watts of electrical power.
• No two-boat testing will be permitted until after the ‘race’ boat has been launched, or after a yet-to-be-defined date, which may be as late as the race start.

The next ‘round table’ session is scheduled for 22 June in Stockholm.

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The decision has been welcomed by team principals who believe it gives certainty and continuity to the event and makes it easier for sponsors to commit.

“It’s essential to make this type of announcement now,” said Michael Woods, Team Russia’s CEO. “Certainty in any financial business environment is vital. For us to bring potential sponsors into the ports without knowing there is going to be a next race is a risk. Now we know there is another race it is worth the investment that we can bring potential sponsors to visit us later on.”

Jamie Boag, the CEO of Green Dragon, also believes the continuity will make the event more appealing to sponsors.

“One of the biggest problems that we have is the continuity, saying to somebody that ‘you have to put all these millions in and oh, by the way, if you hang around you can maybe do it in three years time’. Being able to go now and say they will be definitely something in three years time, makes life a lot easier.”

Tom Touber, the project manager of Team Delta Lloyd, was the director of shore operations at Team ABN AMRO in the last race hopes today’s news will help Delta Lloyd commit to the next race. He said: “This was a very, very positive announcement. This proves that Volvo is in very good cooperation with the syndicates.

Telefonica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking hopes a new set-up will see extra assistance given in the search for sponsors. “We have been struggling always to find sponsors,” he said. “You have to get the right contacts so you need professional people in charge to find a sponsor for a sailing team.

“I’m not the right person to find a sponsor. I hope they can put the right people in place and then they can just hire a team manager or a complete team to race the boats.”

Sponsors might also be impressed with some of the numbers the event has already clocked up. The headline figure is the number of visitors to the race village to date from the opening of day of Friday 19th September which has reached 500,000.

The highest daily total was yesterday for the in-port race when 62,000 people went through the turnstiles.