VOLVO Ocean Race to Deliver Xtreme Human Edition

Source and Courtesy VOLVO Ocean Race preparations for 2014-2015 Human Edition

VOLVO Ocean Race had promised in April to deliver this year the most human and close up experience for the most extreme regatta of the world. Recently VOLVO assured that the new deal with Mobile operator TRUPHONE is the key to delivering what was promised to a global audience which could exceed the 16 million people.

ABC reported on June 14^th that the agreement with the mobile operator will improve communications in the world-oceanic regatta.

VOLVO Ocean Race explains that it is the advanced technology utilized by On-Board Reporters –previously known as Communication Crew, which allows for daily content. Impressive multi-media will be distributed globally to audiences around the world throughout the different platforms. From TV, to live streaming, online and social media international viewers will be able take on this experience through tides and winds.

“The 2014-15 Edition will be the Human Edition. People, their capacity to work in team and take decisions, will play an important role in victory. We will offer our followers stories, photographs, videos and quality content without precedent, through our multimedia platforms,” Knut Frostad, General Director of VOLVO Ocean Race assured.

The Race with over 11 cities stops, routing around the World, through all Oceans and Continents will be kick-started in Alicante Spain. Sailors will have to find their ways around the World, through Cape Town South Africa, Abu Dhabi UAE, Sanya China, Auckland New Zealand, Itajai Brazil, Newport US, Lisboa Portugal, Lorient France, Hague and Gothenburg Sweden.

Six confirmed teams are confirmed to sail for nine months in the Volvo Ocean 65 -the new monotype sail boat. Teams include TEAM SCA, ABU DHABI OCEAN RACING, TEAM BRUNEL, TEAM ALVIMEDICA, DONGFENG RACE TEAM and the TEAM of SPAIN.

Sail News Australia reported that Corinna Halloran was revealed as the Onboard Reporter for Team SCA. Her task will be bringing the full story to an audience of millions.

“This is an amazing opportunity, this project is truly unique and I feel privileged to be able to tell SCA’s story to the world… The level of technology onboard is second to none,” she said.

The onboard reporters are absolutely essential in the attempt to convey the full human adventure which is the Volvo Ocean Race. They are our eyes and ears at sea after the rest of the media is left a long way behind.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.