New Volvo “Everest of Racing” Routes Fly into Epic Edition

Volvo Ocean Race Teams crossing out the most extreme Round the World Regatta 

The Volvo Ocean Race definitive new routes have been set and officially announced. The organizers of the Race known as the Most Extreme Regatta in the World reported on March 29 that the new Routes will make this edition Epic.

This year the Volvo Ocean Race will be longer, harder and tougher. The Southern Ocean Crossing has been extended in length and difficulty. These will carry double points which will drive competition into high gear. Flying through the Southern Ocean lengths will make this edition the most adrenaline pumped of history. It will be long. It will hard. It will be around the World. It will be pure open ocean sailing. And it will be available free for the entire World this year's Volvo will also be the “most digital of all races”.

The historical come back to its origin with the reincorporation of a new Stop in Australia -city of Melbourne is another must addition which comes with the new routes.

Confirmed and official dates of the Volvo Ocean Race set the Gun Start on October 22, 2017, in Alicante to the End Line in June 2018 in Holland. All that happens in between will be mythical history of sailing. Natural pillars rising from the Earth and sinking into the oceans creating the most difficult crossings of the World, dead wind zones, competition strategies, storms, hurricane zones, fog sailing, new sailing technology, cold waters, almost arctic areas, all continents, all the force of the ocean, bring spiritual, mental and physical challenges to the Teams.  

Teams which are signed up for the edition are already flooding the media pushing pressure tactics. MAPFRE Team of Spain led by Xavi Fernandez is once again out for the Glory. The boat pushed too hard during training in recent windy conditions and dismasted but they assure they will be up and running fast for the start of the race.

Team Dongfeng China is also on its comeback to the Volvo and Vestas -also on its comeback partnered this year with 11th Hour Racing.

Some stages of the race Round the World are more important than others strategically due to distances and point leverages. The Team that takes Leg 3 from Cape City to Melbourne will take home double scores after taking on lead for 6.3 thousand miles. Melbourne will have no in-port race but a week in port laydays are scheduled to light up the city. From Melbourne Teams will face the mystery and tricky waters to Hong Kong for the conquering of Leg 4.

“So much for athletes as well as for the organization, the Melbourne stop will add hardness and complexity. The Southern Australia Meteorological conditions are very complicated -cold Southern winds mix it up with tropical temperatures of the continent causing the formation of very violent depressions, such as those that ruled in many editions of the Sydney Hobart. Add this to the fact that the last miles will be navigated through the Bass Strait which is one of the most complicated routes of the Leg. In the Bass Strait winds canalize through the mountains of Hobart and Victory and the sea that grows considerably as it losses depths,” Gonzalo Infante Volvo Ocean Race Meteorologist spoke about some of the epic conditions of this year´s edition.

Teams are expected to arrive in Melbourne port in full Christmas time. A double celebration will be awaiting those fortunate to make the double point crossing of Leg 3.

Other mystical routes and stops of the edition include Lisboa, Cape City and Chinese region of Guangzhou. The China sea was a surprise last year due to its unexpected difficulty for navigation and conditions imposed by strange weather patterns.

Auckland, Itajai, Newport, Cardiff and Goteborg are also iconic and epic Stops but nothing will be more chilling that the Southern Ocean Legs double bound through the most treacherous oceans.

The North Atlantic crossing Newport Cardiff is also valued as a double score leg which will price the best navigation strategies.

“Bring on the Southern Ocean!” Volvo Ocean Race official press reporters blasted away on March 29. Under the words of three crew members of the iconic Spanish Team -Pablo Arrante, Neal McDonald and Ñeti Cuervas-Mons talked all things Volvo.

MAPFRE set mission is to lift for the first time for the History of Spain the Volvo Ocean Race trophy. To do that they will have criss cross the entire World´s Ocean and survive all the tricks in its bag. The crew is more than experienced, the three of them when put together have a total of 13 “Round-the-Planet-Ocean-Spins”.

Ñeti assures that the new changes in routes of this year´s edition are not to be underestimated. “It's much harder than previous editions, because more miles will be sailed in the more extreme conditions of the Southern Ocean. Also, there's still the challenge of crossing the Doldrums in the Pacific twice, and that is really complicated. It is going to be a tricky round-the-world race, with all kinds of conditions, and our experience of these boats means that we know the differences between teams will be minimal. It is going to be extremely exciting and really tough,” the experienced professional sailor said.

The Team from Spain spoke about focusing strategy in the legs which are double scored. These legs will see higher degrees of competition.

“We need to know how to find the right balance between taking risks and not breaking anything. A breakage would mean paying an extremely high price on the general leaderboard. We will have to find that balance so we can put our foot down enough to be ahead at the end of each leg,” Ñeti said.

Longer legs in really tough ocean conditions with incredible speed winds and crazy swell and tides as well as extreme temperatures requires not only attention to sailing but making sure that pushing the boat to the limit is not causing it major damages nor stressing the structure. It is not uncommon for Teams to be forced to abandon due to damages and complete wrecking in Round the World Regattas.

“We will have to really look after the boat, so we don’t suffer any damage, and can at least achieve a podium position. If we can hold our own in this respect, we believe that by sailing the rest of the race well, we will be up front and in the fight,” Pablo of MAPFRE said.

Female presence in the Volvo Ocean Race is growing. Confirmed crew members of Dongfeng Carolijn Brouwer and Marie Riou are just some the female representatives for the 2017-2018 campaign. And they are not just any girls...

Neal of MAPFRE applauded the increased participation of Women in the Volvo Ocean Race.

“I think it will make a big difference in an area which we know very little about. We have already sailed with some girls, and we are starting to get an idea of how we can make the most of this new rule, and it is important to use it well. This is an offshore race, on a boat, the people on board are different, but the procedure is the same. However, it is new for all of us, and we have to work towards knowing the best way to use this particular rule,” Pablo said.

Another rule at Volvo incentives the incorporation of members under 30 years. While in other sports the young strive Round the World prestigious regattas have a tendency to favoring the really experienced those who have already circled the Globe more than once and those athletes generally rank beyond the 30 years of age. Volvo Ocean Race however wants new fresh blood to join its roster.

“I think that it is a good thing that rules are created to enable new people to be on the crews. For example the rule which made it compulsory for the teams to have one team member who was under 30, gave me my first chance to sail in the Volvo Ocean Race. The only difficulty I can see is that it radically reduces the number of crew members on board, whilst increasing the number of people with “less experience”, and this means excluding many sailors who are over 30. Of course there is new energy on board, but not at the expense of leaving out others. I think this could be done by simply allowing more than eight crew members on board,” Ñeti of MAPFRE argued.

Expansion reported on the new rules at Volvo. With 43 years of historical dominance the Volvo Ocean Race still wants to venture beyond its limit. Series of new rules are being enforced with strength. Women behind the commands are one of the incentives pushed by new rules of the game play at Volvo.

Crew members of Dongfeng Brouwer and Riou are now under the press spotlight. Brower aged 43 is a respected Dutch sportswoman and veteran of two Volvo Ocean Race editions aboard the Amer Sports Too in 2001-2002 and part of the all Female Team SCA of 2014-2015 which made a hell of a campaign crossing all oceans with force earning a deserved respect among all Teams.  Brouwer has also participated in three Olympic Games.

Riou aged 35 has taken on twice the Olympics -recently Rio 2016 and took on 4 World Nacra 17 Races. Both members were selected through an exhaustive evaluation program which included not only coastal navigations but skills of cross oceanic tactics.

“I am very proud. The Volvo Ocean Race is something unique. It is a definite physical and mental challenge,” Carolijn Brouwer told the press.

“Ever since I was 10 I dreamed of taking on a Volvo Ocean Race. Although today I have a lot of experience in coastal navigation, I have always wanted to perform oceanic sailing, and in this field the Volvo Ocean Race is the pinnacle of Team competition,” Marie Riou kicked it hard.

Most signed up Teams are anxious to take on the harder routes set in the Southern Oceans...they know they will be making history.

“I think it is wonderful to return to this format, and to sail in hostile environments like the Great South. This is the biggest difference, and in my opinion, it is what makes this edition particularly attractive,” MAPFRE Team showed its teeth.

It will be over 20 days of hard sailing in these extremely cold ocean waters dealing with winds of tremendous force and a boat that is designed to almost fly through massive swells. Getting wet is a constant, sleep is short, and sailing to the limit is what it is all about. Setting new records. New standards. Big Storms are expected. Sling shot sailing will dominate.

Avoiding the Dead Wind Zones of the Doldrums and the Caribbean is also a big part of the strategy in a Round the World Race like the Volvo. These dead wind zone traps can make a boat loose its position and even plunge it to the abyss of slamming into sand banks to never return into action.

The comeback of Vestas -Team which saw a sandbank wreck in the past edition is a sign of resilience and just how powerful the magnetic attraction force of participation in a Round the World Volvo is.

This edition Vestas return with force with a strong partner which has already made a big name in the sector of Professional Sailing -11th Hour Racing. 11th Hour Racing promotes its own races and regattas and events and participates and pushes for the sport of professional regattas and sailing to become every day more Green.

The Vestas 11th Hour Racing Crew for the Volvo will be formed by Charlie Enright and Mark Towill which debuted in the previous edition of the Volvo Ocean Race onboard Team Alvimedica -which made a decent run around the World. Vestas was the fourth Team to sign up early for the Volvo.

Now once that sponsorship problems have gone out the window Enright can now focus on what really matters...Sailing.

With programmed transatlantic training routines set for go Vestas is prepared to make some damage and speak green while at it.

Beyond the sport Vestas is out to inspire effective change on the way we think about energy and the use of the Planet's Natural Resources.

“Mark and Charlie have acted as 11th Hour Racing ambassadors for the past two years, having witnessed first hand during the previous Volvo Ocean Race many of the contamination forms which are destroying the life in the ocean and threatening our Global society,” Wendy Schmidt Cofounder of 11th Hour Racing y President of The SChmidt Family Foundation added.

Teams will sail over 45 thousand miles across the World in highest level of racing...it will be more than an adventure and the entire world is invited to witness it online thanks to Global IT services Giant HCL Technologies. In port crowds will gather by the thousands...online viewers are expected to grow to the millions. Volvo Ocean Race will continue to grow majestically...the epic stage conditions are set and are awaiting for the Teams to make their showdown and last stand.  

“...sailing in the Southern Ocean due to the extreme conditions of cold, wind and big waves. Reaching Cape Horn is always challenging, as is the Southern Indian Ocean...in the areas around the islands in the tropics there can be hurricanes, typhoons or conditions with very little wind. Each part of the planet has its own complications, and if you add the fact that all of the boats are sailing extremely close together, it makes for quite an intense, stressful situation as well as the challenges to be had from one day to the next,” MAPFRE warned.

The Everest of Racing is set, the countdown is on.