PUMA Ocean Racing Will Build New Volvo 70 Close to Home.
Puma Ocean Racing will sail the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in a new boat. The team has announced that the new Volvo Open 70 will be built by New England Boatworks Inc. The build is ‘local’ to the team’s headquarters.
The design for the new generation round the world race yacht will be provided by Valencia-based naval architects, Juan Yacht Design. Juan Kouyoumdjian’s designs have a perfect record in the Volvo Ocean Race since the inception of the Volvo Open 70 Rule, having designed the 2006 winner ABN AMRO and the 2009 winner Ericsson 4.
Team Skipper, Ken Read, is keen to utilise all the hard-earned experience gained during the last race to give the team a great starting point. He said:
“We feel that Puma Ocean Racing has an advantage by keeping the construction of all the major components for this project close to our home base in Newport. Fortunately, NEB provides our team the perfect facility and team to build what we hope is the finest boat ever constructed for this type of race.”
New England Boats has proven offshore boat building experience, with projects that include the Whitbread 60 Toshiba for the 1997 Whitbread Round-the-World Race. NEB partners Tom Rich, Steven Casella and David MacBain said via a statement:
“These boats are designed to withstand the harshest conditions, and we’re proud to have this opportunity to showcase NEB on a global level.”
The new Puma Volvo 70 will launch in the spring of 2011. Sea trials will be run out of the team’s training base at the Newport Shipyard.
More Volvo Ocean Race News…
High Risk – High Reward Sponsors Sought by Steve White for Record Attempt.
July 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under Business, Record Attempts, United Kingdom
Record attempts are risky sponsorship vehicles, however – if the record is broken then the rewards can be enormous. There are other advantages of sponsoring a record attempt over a more traditional race. In the case of sailing, there is usually only one boat competing, which gives the sponsor a larger share of voice. Only one boat for the cameras to capture, only one story rather than many.
Steve White has announced his intention to break the current world record for circumnavigating single-handed, non-stop the ‘wrong way’, against the prevailing winds and currents. Steve plans to buy and sail a Volvo Open 70, which would usually be crewed by ten people.
Steve says:
‘After the amazing experience of the 2008 Vendée Globe, it seemed like the right time to focus my attention on this record that I have been thinking about for a long time, and which fits in nicely before the next Vendée Globe in 2012. The record is acknowledged as probably the hardest and certainly the most gruelling record in sailing, and I am under no illusions about the enormity of the task in hand, both of sailing upwind and against the current in the Southern Ocean, and about the power and size of the boat we have chosen. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede is a legend and his record will be tough to beat, but I think it is achievable’
Taking place this winter, the attempt would mark the 40th anniversary of the original record set by Sir Chay Blyth (CBE BEM) on ‘British Steel’, who embarked on the epic journey described by The Times in 1970 as the ‘Impossible Voyage’. The current record for completing the 22,000 mile course is 122 days, 14 hours and 4 minutes, and is held by Frenchman Jean Luc Van Den Heede.
Sir Chay Blyth CBE, BEM commented:
‘It’s wonderful that Steve is planning to attempt what many regard as the ultimate sailing challenge. Hundreds have completed the voyage following the classic Eastabout route but doing this in reverse is a quantum leap removed, which is why only 5 people including Mike Golding and Dee Caffari have tried it. It takes a special character to tackle the trip and Steve is an extremely experienced yachtsman who I believe has the right skills, tenacity and determination to set a new World record.’ When asked if he would be tempted back to re-trace his footsteps Chay said, ‘Not a hope in hell.’
Steve is quoted as looking for a budget for buying the boat, preparing it, support and sponsor activation of £1.4 million. It’s a big bet to take on success of the endeavour and will be tough to find before the weather window of October or November.
Steve added:
‘I have long pondered this record since reading both Chay’s and Mike Golding’s books on their respective attempts. With a very successful Vendée Globe behind me, and a team with a wealth of experience now in place, I am confident I can do this record justice. I really am more excited about this than I have been about anything else, and I am very much looking forward to crossing the start line. I will leave between October and December this year, depending on the arrival of a suitable weather window, and how soon we attract a sponsor’.
More Record Attempt News…
Thrane & Thrane Renew Volvo Ocean Race Sponsorship Deal.
Much of the success of the Volvo Ocean Race is due to the way in which it delivers media content. Placing locked-off cameras on the top of hills and pointing them at a match racing course is one thing, but getting HD video off a Volvo 70 doing 30 kts in the middle of nowhere is another challenge altogether. The technology that has delivered the content for the last two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race will play a large part again with Thrane & Thrane announcing that it will play a vital role in delivering the close-up, onboard action.
The Copenhagen based company has signed up to become Official Sponsor of Satellite and Radio Communications Equipment for the third consecutive race. The agreement means that Thrane & Thrane’s latest generations of SAILOR® FleetBroadband and VHF equipment will be onboard every cutting-edge Volvo Open 70 as they line up in Alicante for the start of the race in October 2011.
Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO said:
“We have once again selected Thrane & Thrane to provide a comprehensive communications package for the teams, based on the support and faultless performance of the SAILOR equipment in the previous two races. We need the latest and best technology to ensure our vision and commitment of bringing the extreme offshore racing to a global TV and web audience. In this context we’re delighted to have Thrane & Thrane back onboard, and we’re confident that their latest FleetBroadband and VHF solutions will facilitate unmatched broadband and safety communication to the racing crews.”
The scope of supply for the 2011-2012 race includes new generation products. With the World’s first 2nd generation FleetBroadband antenna, the in-house developed SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband will be the central communication hub for each race team. From upload of race footage, reports and interviews for television and web, to download of weather data vital for competitive navigation performance, all of the teams will benefit from true broadband communication along the entire course around the globe.
The teams will also benefit from the compact SAILOR 150 FleetBroadband for crew voice calling and IP data whilst two SAILOR mini-C systems will be onboard for constant positioning data and global safety communication.
Walther Thygesen, CEO, Thrane & Thrane said:
“The Volvo Ocean Race really is about Life at the Extreme so we relish the challenge of putting our equipment through its paces once again. It is the ultimate test platform and we receive invaluable and immediate feedback from the crews, which has made Volvo Ocean Race an integral part of our product development process. Our products have performed consistently successful during the two previous races and if the SAILOR products can withstand such an ultimate test, then their credentials as the toughest most reliable communications equipment for all maritime applications are well deserved.”
Groupama Volvo Ocean Race Plans Come Together.
Back in November 2009, Groupama announced that their 12 year long partnership with Franck Cammas would include the Volvo Ocean Race.
Last week in Eric Tabarly’s Cité de la Voile, Groupama revealed more reasons behind their commitment to the next two editions of the VOR. In short, the race is an excellent opportunity for the European insurance and banking group to display its international ambition and for Franck Cammas and his team to vie with the top Anglo-Saxon crews.
Frédérique Granado, Groupama’s director of external communications commented last week:
“When we committed ourselves to supporting Franck Cammas back in 1998, he was a young sports entrepreneur, who was just discovering the multihull scene. Twelve years on, he has won virtually all the crewed races and racked up no less than six records, including the legendary Jules Verne Trophy on 20th March 2010. By confirming our commitment to the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, namely until 2015, we are supporting the Group’s international development, which makes 30% of its turnover overseas and employs over 11,000 employees outside France. Groupama is today identified as the leading vessel owner in French sailing. With the Volvo Ocean Race, this presence will further develop overseas.”
The Groupama team, headed by Franck Cammas is made up of 45 people and despite the team’s roots it is fairly commonplace to hear English spoken or perhaps French with a slightly exotic accent:
Franck says:
“The challenge we’ve committed ourselves to is a sizeable one. Since 1993 and Eric Tabarly, not a single French team has participated in the Volvo Ocean Race. Up against the top crews from New Zealand, America, Spain and Ireland, it’s going to be an intense battle. We’re just rediscovering the monohull and we still have a lot to learn. However, we’re going about it with as much enthusiasm, seriousness and humility as possible. Thanks to Groupama’s commitment, we were the first to put our team together. Making up my entourage are Volvo specialists like Damian Foxall, Ben Wright, Luc Gellusseau, Hervé Le Quilliec as well as Killian Bush, who are joining together with various long-term stalwarts of the Groupama Team like Stéphane Guilbaud, Pierre Tissier, Loïc Dorez, Yann Riou and Olivier Mainguy.”
With the purchase of Ericsson 4, winner of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, Groupama Team can boast an excellent platform for training and analysis. Rechristened Groupama 70, the Koujoumdjian design is performing an increasing number of sail trials offshore of Lorient in Brittany, where the Team is based.
When the team aren’t out sailing, the various members of the Team are participating in the design of the future boat, it too due to be designed by the Franco-Argentine architect:
Cammas added:
‘Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to involve the excellent French architects in the work, as they are also only just discovering the restrictions of the class measurement linked to these 70 foot (21.5 metres long) boats. As such we opted for Juan Koujoumdjian, who is based in Valencia, Spain. However, it’s actually in nearby Vannes, at the Multiplast yard, that Groupama 4 will be built. This will represent 40,000 man hours and we know the team well because we built the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 with them.’
The new boat will be built by Multiplast, the company that built the Groupama III maxi trimaran in 2005-2006. The Groupama Team has renewed its confidence in Multiplast and entrusted the yard with the production of this monohull, based on the plans by Juan Yacht Design.
Yann Penfornis, General Manager of Multiplast said:
“This new order is wonderful recognition of our know-how. We are all the more proud in that the team in question is particularly demanding of themselves, and also of any of the partners involved in the project. For us, this boat will be an opportunity to compare our work with that of the large foreign teams, who have dominated this discipline for many years.”
Pierre Tissier, Construction Manager for Team Groupama said about the close collaboration with the boat-builder:
“We have been working with Multiplast for several years, we know each other very well and we communicate openly. We know that we can trust them again to build a reliable, high-performance boat.”
Dominique Dubois, President of Multiplast commented about the strict measurement rules :
“This new boat must be a marvel. In addition, we have had to make new investments, such as an anti-dust paint for the flooring and new curing ovens to guarantee that Groupama will benefit from a new quality close to the demands of the aeronautical or space industry. This is another new step taken by the Multiplast boatyard with regards to quality control. Our experience in the production of parts for the aeronautical industry will be useful to us to take on this new challenge.”
The Sports Consultancy Volvo Ocean Race Project One of the Biggest Tenders in Sport.
Professional yacht racing has moved on a bit over the last few years. Even in the time this site has been around, the commercialism brought to the sport by organisations like the Volvo Ocean Race has increased year on year. The organisers of the VOR have set the bar high for others who are trying to partner with sailing venues around the world.
The Sports Consultancy was appointed in February 2009 to develop the Volvo Ocean Race’s first ever global competitive bidding process to secure the route of the 2011-12 Race.
The Sports Consultancy have now announced the successful completion of the agency’s brief to deliver what is, with over 80 initial bidders and 10 successful cities, believed to be the largest number of cities ever in a city bidding process in sport.
The Sports Consultancy worked with the event organiser to deliver a significant increase in hosting rights fees and enhanced service as well as infrastructure provision by each host city. At the same time Volvo Ocean Race is able to complete and announce the entire route for the next race 12 months earlier than ever before.
Commenting on the procurement process, TSC Director Angus Buchanan said:
“We are incredibly proud of what The Sports Consultancy has achieved in delivering the largest ever competitive tender in sport. From over 80 original bidders, we are delighted with the quality of the final host cities and the significantly enhanced rights fees and infrastructure commitments we have achieved for Volvo Ocean Race even in this tough economic environment.”
Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, added:
“I am delighted with the results that The Sports Consultancy has achieved over the last 12 months. Its methodology and implementation has been first class ensuring that the Volvo Ocean Race enhances its global reputation as the world’s most high profile off shore yachting event.”
