life at the extreme

Issue 40 VolvoOceanRace.com

aLaN BLOCKLooks back over nine months

of thrills and spills

aNdREw huRsttalks to Knut Frostad

CaRLa aNsELmImemories are made of this

daVId BRaNIgaNhindsight and heartache

matt shEahaNunveiling the new class

KatE LaVENBe fit or be damned

maRK ChIsNELLhow the race was won

Bravo Cammas!

OFCv3.indd 1 10/7/12 13:17:55

In your elemeNt, Chasing perfection.Cruising in a high powered truck on the motorway, or rushing along at 23 knots, surfing down the mountainous waves. Driver and skipper separate worlds. Still they put the same extreme demands on their gear to always perform on top.

VOLVO TRUCKS. DRIVING PROGRESS

LIFE AT THE EXTREME 1

Published by Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U. Edificio Antigua Estacin Martima, Muelle n10 de Levante, Puerto de Alicante, 03001 Alicante, Spain Tel: +34 966 011 100Editor Lizzie Ward Consulting Editor Stuart Alexander Art Director Ian Lock Advertisement Sales Graeme Beeson Design and Production Nexus Design Print Jimenez Godoy, S.A. Murcia, Spain Distribution Seahorse MagazineCopyright Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, without permission. Permission must also be obtained before any part of this publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature. Whilst every care is taken with submitted material to ensure factual accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted by Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U. or any editor or contributor for any loss or damage arising as a result of information contained in this publication. The views expressed by individual contributors are not necessarily those of Volvo Ocean Race, S.L.U. All rights reserved.Published July 2012.

A HEART THAT bEATS onLInE

How THE RACEwAS won

FRoSTAD LookS FoRwARD

HInDSIgHT AnD HEARTACHE

MEMoRIES ARE MADE oF THIS

04 12 17 28 30

Stuart Alexander is sailing correspondent of The Independent.

Carla Anselmi is a freelance sports journalist based in Italy.

Alan block is senior editor of Sailing Anarchy

David branigan is a sailing photographer and journalist

Mark Chisnell is an international racing navigator and a novelist.

Andrew Hurst is editor of Seahorse.

kate Laven is sailing correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.

Matt Sheahan is racing and technical editor of Yachting World.

COVER PHOTO:YVAN ZEDDA

wHAT An EPIC race this has turned out to be. From start to finish, the 11th running of the Volvo Ocean Race has been a gripping affair. A new legend has been created in the shape of the diminutive French sailing hero, Franck Cammas, winning the race at his first attempt. It is the first time a French team has entered the race since La Poste in 1993-94 and the first time it has been won by the French since Lionel Pan in 1985-86.

For the armchair navigators, it has been a thrilling, gripping race to follow. The amazing work of the on-board Media Crew Members has made it possible to step inside the lives of the teams and experience what it was really like many miles from help of any kind.

The live coverage of the in-port races has had us all on the edge of our seats, glued to the laptop or TV, enthralled in the racing that produced such dramatic results. The live coverage of the finishes has had the bloggers fully occupied as they analysed every move and cheered on their teams, while its been full on for the players of the virtual race who have had a brand new Volvo car to race for.

However you spend whats left of the summer, you can reflect on the last nine months through our latest book, 39270, or even visit the new museum in Alicante, which will bring the race back to life in a heartbeat. The race office has revealed a new boat and is planning everything to do with the 2014-15 race. It will be on us all too quickly.

LIZZIE wARDEDITOR

06 In Brief The pain, the gain and the glory

14 Talking Technical Unveiling the class of 2014-15

26 Barristas are brutal Wise words from a veteran

34 Sponsors target quality New venues under scrutiny

36 Be fit or be damned Injuries can be costly

38 In at the deep end The best from onboard

40 Thanks to Partners, Sponsors and Suppliers

Contents ISSUE 40

Also Contributors

06 groupama triumphant

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Long-time race fans sometimes forget that the Volvo Ocean Race is big business. Six teams spent an average of around 20 million each on this edition of the race; thats 120 million in real money, big biz in anyones book. Throw in the events expenses hosting the port bidding and management process, countless in-house and outside publicity, production and media personnel, commercial division and sponsorship hunters, rule writers and umpires and armies of volunteers, all speaking different languages and having different priorities, and it clearly isnt an easy job. With economies crumbling as the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 took shape, you could almost have forgiven management if theyd pulled their heads in and just weathered the storm.

But this race has never been about just coasting along. Once upon a time, long before multimillion dollar corporate backers came onto the scene, the Volvo was the Whitbread, and it was the ultimate challenge for offshore yacht racers. Crews from around the world tested their mettle and their boats in the most brutal

conditions on earth, and these were mostly regular people full-time professional yacht racing wasnt really an occupation until the mid-90s. Comparatively low barriers to entry meant dozens of boats, racing on handicap, crossed the start line, often full of sailors on sabbatical from work. And they came for one reason: there was only one crewed race in the world that would give them that ultimate challenge.

Thats no longer the case, and todays racers whether professional or amateur can tackle the Southern Ocean in a few ways. The doublehanded (and affordable) Global Ocean Race lets the adventurous endure a soaking in 40-footers that are faster in many conditions than even Whitbread Maxis. The Barcelona World Race lets doublehanders race around in Open 60s. The new Multi-One-Design 70s, soon to embark on their own crewed round-the-world race, is faster than a Volvo boat. The pay-to-play Clipper Race introduces more people to big-boat round-the-world racing than the Whitbread ever did, and the Vende Globe remains the ultimate non-stop test of man and machine. In short, there is no lack of options

for sailors who want to experience what the early Whitbread racers did. And for everyone who wants to experience it without the pain, expense and hassle, theres the Volvo Ocean Race, which offers total immersion in the event from the comfort of your armchair.

When the Whitbread/Volvo Ocean 60 morphed into the Volvo Open 70, the game changed. With a design/build/test cycle taking well over a year, the need for full-time pro racers and a professional design team meant budgets that even well-heeled yachtsmen couldnt stomach. The old days of a cobbled-together team eating bacon for breakfast and having cocktails at sunset would guarantee only a humiliating result. With the need to attract private participants gone, Volvo could refocus its public efforts and resources on the one thing that would grow the appeal of the race for the sponsors required to fund it: the fans.

In the old days, news about the race would trickle out to the world via yachting mags and occasionally, mainstream newspapers. Months would go by before anyone knew what was really going on, and, aside from a few yachting

4 LIFE AT THE EXTREME

A heart that beats

onlineTight scores and an undecided

scoreboard until the final leg helped make this the most exciting Volvo Ocean Race, Ive ever followed, says Alan Block, senior editor of Sailing Anarchy. But thats not why it was such a great race. What made it succeed so wildly by every metric had deeper roots than just competition: it was the ability for anyone,

anywhere, to be part of the action at any time; day or night.

04.05 Keynote.indd 4 11/7/12 12:11:47

strongholds like the UK and New Zealand, the Whitbread was more of a public curiosity than anything else. When the race moved to the ferocious Volvo Open 70, it finally had something that would make a perfect platform to promote itself: a breathtaking racing yacht.

The debut of the Volvo Open 70 came in the 2005-06 race, and the boat stole the show even if the competition didnt. Juan Kouyoumdjians ABN AMRO ONE was unbeatable, and the race was over almost before it began. What the race did have was hours of extreme, mind-altering, high-speed sailing footage coming from a few teams onboard cameras. Combined with an internet that was finally capable of spreading that footage to the ends of the earth, the action would captivate the public like nothing that came before it.

An electronic ticker tape encircling the main floor of the state-of-the-art race headquarters in Alicante is a hint to how important the web is to the race. On it are just a few pieces of data scrolling around the building in neon-blue LEDs: number of web hits, Facebook

friends, Facebook impressions, Livestream and YouTube views, and a couple of other web stats. As goes the internet, so goes the Volvo, and the organisation has made sure its at the leading edge of the webs latest tools.

Distribution avenues for the mountains of content that would be generated were created, and more resources were focused on the web. The Alicante team formed an alliance with YouTube to maximise the audience for live streaming coverage, and a link with Livestream in the launch of a new portal that would feature pictures, videos, and stories almost as they left the boat. It proved the best way to follow the race, though those who wanted could pick up almost the same coverage without ever leaving Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, plenty of time was spent on growing that all-important metric. Through contests and creative marketing, organisers blew their Facebook page up from around 25,000 to over 200,000 fans. This presence let core fans share the race easily with their non-sailing friends.

Thats not to say that the traditional media were ignored on this go-round. A dedicated

TV team helped distribute more live racing and leg documentaries to free-to-air and pay TV channels than any previous edition, and early estimates show this edition will have much bigger media value than the last. But thats not where the focus is, and in fact, the Volvos success in building a big, vibrant internet audience has helped drive up interest from TV producers and print editors. The new drives the old, in a way.

Short of the Americas Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race has the most valuable history in sailing. The team realises it can only build commercial appeal by staying at the absolute forefront of the latest developments. This has been proved with innovative sponsorship approaches, creative routes, and wildly successful stopovers. A substantial commitment to a new boat design should result in a bigger fleet. But the biggest risk of all absolute faith in the internet and what the onboard Media Crew Members can bring to it is why the race has become what it is.

And I can promise that Ill be watching the next one.


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6 LIFE AT THE EXTREME6 LIFE AT THE EXTREME

In Brief

A happy Groupama crew celebrates in classic

style and receives the applause of the man

who presented the trophy, Prince Carl Philip of

Sweden (inset).

And the winners are...

all photos: ian roman/paul todd/volvo ocean race

FInAL PoSITIonS: ovERALL1. Groupama saIlInG team 253 pts2. Camper wIth emIrates team new Zealand 231 pts3. puma oCean raCInG powered By BerG 226 pts4. team telefnICa 213 pts5. aBu dhaBI oCean raCInG 131 pts6. team sanya 51 pts

FInAL PoSITIonS: In-PoRT SERIES1. puma oCean raCInG powered By BerG 45 pts2. Camper wIth emIrates team new Zealand 44 pts3. Groupama saIlInG team 41 pts4. aBu dhaBI oCean raCInG 37 pts5. team telefnICa 27 pts6. team sanya 16 pts

Groupama sailing team

1st

06.07.08.09.10.11 In Briefv3.indd 6 10/7/12 20:24:04


In Brief

In-Port SeriesIn-Port Series

Groupama sailing team

CAMPER with EmiratesTeam New Zealand

PUMA Ocean Racingpowered by BERG

2nd

1st

3rd

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG

2nd

3rd

06.07.08.09.10.11 In Briefv3.indd 7 10/7/12 20:27:40


In Brief

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand picked up one of the most coveted prizes when each member of the crew was presented with an IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 in recognition of the best 24-hour distance run over the course of the race. Chris Nicholsons crew racked up 566 nautical miles on Leg 8.

IWC SCHAFFHAuSEN SPEEd RECoRd CHALLENgEINMARSAT MEdIA CREW MEMbER AWARd

THE ERICSSoN dESIgN AWARd

Argentinas Juan Kouyoumdjian (right) was presented with the award for his work designing race winner Groupama 4 by Traoloch Collins from Ericsson.

CAMPERs star reporter Hamish Hooper (top centre) saw nine months of hard work pay off as he was crowned champion Media Crew Member of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. Hooper, 33, was presented with the Inmarsat Media Crew Member Award and a cheque for 10,000 at the final prizegiving ceremony in Galway, in recognition of his outstanding onboard coverage during the nine-month round the world marathon.

New Zealander Hoopers work, said the judges, constantly shone as he documented with skill and flair life on board runners-up CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand through daily images, video reports, blogs and audio clips.

Highlights included his account of CAMPERs boat damage and the monumental repair during Leg 5 as well as capturing the moment helmsman Roberto Chuny Bermdez had to swerve while driving the boat at more than 20 knots to avoid a whale in the North Atlantic.

Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, the Volvo Ocean Races official satellite communications partner, said: Inmarsat congratulates Hamish on his well-deserved winning of the Inmarsat Media Crew Member Award. Judges noted that his work was constant and of the highest quality throughout all nine legs of this global race.

ALL PHOTOs: IAN ROMAN/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

RuPERT PEARCE, CEo oF INMARSAT, ANd ANdy SuKAWATy, EXECuTIvE CHAIRMAN.

MEdIA CREW MEMbER AWARd by LEg

LEG 1 HAMIsH HOOPER, CAMPER WITH EMIRATEs TEAM NEW ZEALANd

LEG 2 YANN RIOu, GROuPAMA sAILING TEAM


LEG 4 AMORY ROss, PuMA OCEAN RACING POWEREd BY BERG


LEG 6 AMORY ROss, PuMA OCEAN RACING POWEREd BY BERG

LEG 7 NICk dANA, ABu dHABI OCEAN RACING



FASTEST SPEEdS by LEg

LEG 1 CAMPER WITH EMIRATEs TEAM NEW ZEALANd 553 NM

LEG 2 GROuPAMA sAILING TEAM 478 NM

LEG 3 PuMA OCEAN RACING POWEREd BY BERG 358 NM


LEG 5 CAMPER WITH EMIRATEs TEAM NEW ZEALANd 528 NM


LEG 7 GROuPAMA sAILING TEAM 538 NM

LEg 8 CAMPER WITH EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALANd 566 NM


06.07.08.09.10.11 In Briefv3.indd 8 11/7/12 12:02:14


In Brief

dHL sHoRE cREw AwARd

The overall DHL Shore Crew Award went to Team sanya in acknowledgement of their amazing efforts to keep Mike Sandersons crew in the race following a series of breakages.

Time and time again the shore team, led by Nick Bice (pictured with colleague Fiona Murray), demonstrated their unfaltering commitment to the campaign, which was tested on the first night of the race when Sanya suffered hull damage after hitting an object hours after leaving Alicante.

The shore crew were also the driving force behind the repair to rigging in Leg 2 which saw Sanya pull into Madagascar, and in Legs 5 and 6 when broken rudders forced the team to pull out of racing and ship their boat to the US for repairs.

Abu dHAbI sEAMAnsHIp AwARd

Groupama bowman brad Marsh, one of the heroes of the 2011-12 edition, was presented with the overall Abu Dhabi Seamanship Award in recognition of the 28-year-old Kiwis incredible contribution to the teams winning campaign.

On numerous occasions Marshs work kept Groupama in the race, from helping patch a hole in the bow in Leg 4 to allow the team to win their first offshore win into Auckland to scaling the mast three times in storm conditions to free a jammed mainsail in Leg 8.

HAns HoRREvoETs bEsT younG sAILoR AwARd HosT poRT EnvIRonMEnTAL AwARd

The Hans Horrevoets award for Young Sailor of the Race, given in memory of the Dutch sailor who died after being swept from ABN AMRO TWO in the 2005-06 race, went to Sanyas david swete and was presented by Petra Horrevoets and her two daughters.

Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, presents Glen suba (left) and Mayor of Itaja, Jandir bellini from the Itaja stopover Brazil, with the Host Port Environmental award for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

dHL sHoRE cREw AwARd by LEG

LEG 1 TEAM SANYA

LEG 2 PUMA OCEAN RACING POWERED BY BERG

LEG 3 PUMA OCEAN RACING POWERED BY BERG

LEG 4 ABU DHABI OCEAN RACING

LEG 5 GROUPAMA SAILING TEAM

LEG 6 ABU DHABI OCEAN RACING

LEG 7 CAMPER WITH EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND

LEG 8 TEAM SANYA

LEG 9 NOT AWARDED

Abu dHAbI sEAMAnsHIp AwARd by LEG

LEG 1 ABU DHABI OCEAN RACING CREW

LEG 2 RICHARD MASON AND JARED HENDERSON, TEAM SANYA

LEG 3 NOT AWARDED

LEG 4 GROUPAMA SAILING TEAM CREW

LEG 5 PUMA OCEAN RACING POWERED BY BERG CREW

LEG 6 NOT AWARDED

LEG 7 JONO SWAIN, PUMA OCEAN RACING POWERED BY BERG

LEG 8 BRAD MARSH, GROUPAMA SAILING TEAM

LEG 9 NOT AWARDED

06.07.08.09.10.11 In Briefv3.indd 9 10/7/12 19:57:14


In Brief

His brother might be one of the worlds top sailors but virtual racer Mark Campbell-James (above left) is the one who will be driving around in a brand new Volvo XC60 car after winning the overall prize in the Volvo Ocean Race Game.

The 31-year-old from Guildford, UK, known under his game pseudonym Sideshow, sealed victory with a leg win in the final stage of the race from Lorient to Galway, just days after his brother Paul skippered Luna Rossa Swordfish in the final event of the Americas Cup World Series.

All five of Marks boats finished in the top 10 for Leg 9. Overall there were more than 220,000 boats raced by over 140,000 competitors.

Mark, himself a talented sailor with numerous high-level wins, including the youth match racing worlds, under his belt, has spent the past nine months checking on his progress in the game every three hours, something that his wife Georgie has had to come to terms with.

I had to promise her a pair of nice shoes if I won, Mark added. Its been pretty hard, but shes happy now with some new shoes and a car!

Amazingly, Mark only started playing the game seriously after unexpected success in the initial few legs.

At the start I wasnt actually playing it to win, I was just playing it for a laugh, he said. Then I did pretty well in the first couple of legs and thought actually maybe I should try a bit harder and go for the win.

Game winner Mark turns sideshow into showroom success

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In-Port Series 1 2 3 4 5 6

PUMA Ocean CAMPER with Groupama Abu Dhabi Team Team Sanya Racing powered Emirates sailing team Ocean Racing Telefnica by BERG Team NZ

Overall Points 45 44 41 37 27 16

FinalPositions

The rise in the fortunes of Groupama and the

decline suffered by Telefnica are clearly shown in

the overall points table while the closeness of the

competition is shown in the In-Port Series.

Scoreboard 1 2 3 4 5 6

Groupama CAMPER with PUMA Ocean Team Abu Dhabi Team Sanya sailing team Emirates Racing powered Telefnica Ocean Racing Team NZ by BERG

Overall Points 253 231 226 213 131 51

Iberdroia In-Port Race Alicante 2 4 5 1 6 3

LEG 1 20 25 0* 30 0* 0*

V&A Waterfront In-Port RaceCape Town 2 5 4 6 3 1

LEG 2 18 24 19 29 10 5

Etihad Airways In-Port Race 5 4 3 2 6 2

LEG 3 24 18 17 27 14 5

Sanya Haltang Bay In-Port Race 2 3 5 6 4 1

LEG 4 30 15 25 20 10 5

Auckland In-Port Race 4 6 5 1 2 3

LEG 5 20 15 30 25 0* 0*

DHL In-Port Race Itaja 6 5 4 2 3 0**

LEG 6 20 25 30 15 10 0**

PORTMIAMI In-Port Race 5 3 4 1 6 2

LEG 7 25 10 20 15 30 5

Oeiras In-Port Race 6 4 5 1 3 2

LEG 8 30 25 20 10 15 5

Bretagne In-Port Race 6 5 4 3 2 1

LEG 9 25 30 20 15 5 10

Discover Ireland In-Port Race 3 5 6 4 2 1

* DNF **DNS Stage 1 + Stage 2

FinalPositions

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A dynamic new addition to the cultural, educational and sporting landscape of Alicante, for the region of Valencia, and for Spain, the museum is the first in the world to offer visitors a chance to experience the extreme challenges faced by the elite sailors competing in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Using cutting edge technology, the Museo transports visitors into a world of entertainment and fun, where visitors can engage with the Volvo ocean Race through interactive touch screen panels that explore the history of the race, life on board, marine ecosystems and telecommunications among many other themes. It will also host a changing programme of exhibitions.

With an aim to engage landlubbers and sailing enthusiasts alike, it will offer an educational programme designed to

inform curious minds about the values of life at sea, sailing and sport. Various activities will be aimed at both schools and the general public.

the shop and the caf, located on the first floor with direct access to a spacious terrace, round off the facilities, which organisers expect will become a point of reference for culture and leisure in the city of alicante.

It is with tremendous pride that we opened the doors to the Museo Volvo ocean Race, a new and unique project that will surprise, delight and inform thousands of visitors each year, said Volvo ocean Race ceo Knut Frostad. alicante is our home and we are thrilled to say we can welcome our neighbours to visit. We look forward to educating and inspiring new generations of fans at this magnificent new museum a striking investment in the future.

Welcome aboard: Volvo Ocean Race museum opens in Alicante

Volvo Ocean Race and the Valencian regional government opened the doors to the Museo Volvo Ocean Race on 19 June adjacent to race headquarters in the port of Alicantes former maritime station.

06.07.08.09.10.11 In Briefv3.indd 11 10/7/12 17:58:04


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Mark Chisnell sees the tension mount as the fleet moves back into the northern hemisphere and across the Atlantic.

Itaja to Miami

3,590 nm

Days at sea: 1761 PUmA ocean racing cAmPer with emirates groupama sailing Team Abu Dhabi ocean Team powered by Berg Team new Zealand team Telefnica racing sanya

2 3 4 5 DNF

THE FINAL suNRIsE oF LEg 6 AppRoACHINg THE guLF sTREAM, oNboARD puMA.

THE LEADINg pAIR into itaja, PUmA ocean racing powered by Berg and overall leaders Team Telefnica, had the most time to recover; while the second and third overall, groupama sailing team and cAmPer with emirates Team new Zealand, were left with short stopovers after nursing their boats home.

Abu Dhabi ocean racing were even worse off, having only just won their battle to make the restart after Azzam had arrived in itaja on a container ship three days previously while Team sanya didnt make leg 6 at all, and planned to rejoin the fleet in miami for leg 7.

if that wasnt bad enough, leg

6 kicked off with another tough tactical puzzle for the skippers and navigators, as complex frontal weather patterns blocked the fleets path to the trade winds. The first big split came after just 24 hours. The wind dropped and cAmPer and Abu Dhabi headed for cabo Frio and the Brazilian coast, while groupama and Telefnica edged further offshore. PUmA took a route between the two groups, before hedging closer to the eastern, seaward option.

The separation opened to about 100 miles and stayed in place for a couple of days. The coming-together was the decisive moment both in terms of the battle to reach the trade

winds and in the leg as a whole. in the end, it was vindication for Ken reads conservative middle route, as PUmA broke through into stronger breeze just ahead of the leader of the inshore pair, cAmPer.

The next obstacle was cabo Branco at the eastern tip of Brazil, just beyond recife. PUmA led a relatively tight bunch of cAmPer, Telefnica and Abu Dhabi, while groupama drifted off the back to a 100-mile deficit after catching a bad cloud. it looked like an impossible position to come back from. The trade winds again eased, but the better current and breeze inshore kept everyone tucked into PUmAs slipstream until they were round the corner.

The tactical options opened up significantly once the fleet cleared cabo Branco and approached the Doldrums for the final time in this edition of the Volvo ocean race. once again, the Doldrums shuffled the pack, with Telefnica briefly passing cAmPer, and both boats closing to within a few miles of PUmA. meanwhile, groupama took the opportunity to catch up on Abu Dhabi.

some fast sailing in the north-east trade winds followed, with groupama taking a more easterly route out of the Doldrums and eventually passing Abu Dhabi, condemning ian Walker and his crew to another fifth place. it didnt last long though, as once

again the fleet compressed into yet more light winds this time from a high pressure zone blocking the way to the finish.

The fleet skimmed along the edge of the caribbean island chain, trying to avoid the high centred to their east. And then overall leaders Telefnica made a rare mistake. They held offshore, while groupama, their closest opponents on the overall leaderboard, dived between the Turks and caicos islands. it was a brilliant move by the French. As Telefnica were swallowed by the light air and gybed to escape, groupama slid past and pulled up to third completing a remarkable recovery.

The final 400 miles turned into a pair of dogfights, as PUmA fought to hold cAmPer behind them, and groupama struggled to keep their foot on Telefnicas throat. But, despite interventions from the island chains to the east of the Bahamas, the gulf stream and yet more light winds, that was the way it finished. The result blew the overall contest wide open leaving the top four separated by just 17 points.

Tactical puzzleThe attrition suffered during an extraordinarily tough Leg 5 was still being felt by many of the teams as they began the next leg to Miami.

Itajai

Miami

A fine line between triumph and disaster

12.13.22.23 Leg Reviews.indd 12 9/7/12 20:29:33


OvERALL LEAdERs Telefnica were first to grab the lead from Walkers men, doing so by the evening of the opening day. But everyone was less concerned with short-term advantage than Tropical Storm Alberto, the first of the 2012 hurricane season, lying in wait.

Teams wanted to stay southeast of the depression as it moved northeast, but its unpredictable behaviour and the four knots of beneficial current, available from good positioning in the Gulf Stream, made for a very complex race track. And when Alberto then shifted direction unexpectedly, it made for a very rough race track most of the fleet found themselves battling

35 knot gale-force headwinds.It was Franck Cammas and

Groupama that played the storm best, with a perfectly timed gybe that propelled them into a 40-mile lead before the others broke clear of trouble. Groupama rode the dying weather system for a couple more days before the next hurdle/opportunity began to form a big depression and frontal system that offered a quick passage straight across the Atlantic.

Behind Groupama, the fleet chose some significant lateral separation in their bid to catch the ride CAMPER to the south, and Abu Dhabi and Telefnica to the north. But the depression was moving too fast, no one could stay with it for very long and as high

pressure and light winds formed in front of the fleet, some quick thinking and quicker repositioning was required.

CAMPER were the first to lose touch with the weather front and they took advantage of the wind shift behind it to bail out of the south, switching sides completely. Others followed, but the leaders Telefnica and Groupama were trapped. They held on to the front the longest, but it left them unable to gybe and reposition. A massive north/south separation between them and the rest of the fleet opened, and when the others reached the new breeze to the north, the pair dropped back through the rankings.

Abu Dhabi made the best of it, neatly negotiating the centre of a high pressure system as it brought new breeze, and then

dropped south across the fleet. Finally, they positioned themselves on the leading edge of a front coming from the northwest, all the while using the swirling eddies of the Gulf Stream for an extra shove. By the morning of May 27, they had accelerated away,

and quickly built an 80-mile lead. The others picked up the

breeze soon enough and some quick miles followed, with Groupama and PUMA leading the chase.

There was one last hurdle ahead, a barrier of high pressure forming between the fleet and the Portuguese coast. Abu Dhabis lead began a long slow collapse as they sailed into the lighter wind first, with Groupama, Telefnica and CAMPER all taking a leveraged position 70 miles to the south.

Fortunately for Ian Walker, first into the light air also meant first out, and Abu Dhabi retained their lead, but not by much. Groupama closed to within a mile of them as they got to the coast and turned into the River Tagus.

But Abu Dhabi were not to be denied their first leg win and held on to the end. Groupamas second place was enough to give them the overall lead, as Telefnica battled to pass CAMPER to take fourth, with PUMA also making further inroads on the long-term leaders with third place.

The results left four teams separated by just 21 points with two short legs to go the closest contest in 39 years of racing around the world.

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dodging Alberto

Miami to Lisbon

3,590 nm

Days at sea: 117

Miami

Lisbon

Leg 7 began with Ian Walkers Abu dhabi Ocean Racing leading the fleet out of Miami and ended much the same way in Lisbon - but what happened in between was anything but a dull procession.

TuRn TO pAgE 22 FOR REvIEWs OF LEgs 8 And 9.

1 Abu Dhabi Ocean Groupama sailing PUMA Ocean Racing Team CAMPER with Emirates Team Racing team powered by BERG Telefnica Team New Zealand Sanya

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WAdE MORgAn OF Abu dHAbI OcEAn RAcIng gRInds THROugH A cLEAn up sET.

12.13.22.23 Leg Reviews.indd 13 9/7/12 20:30:45


As Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad announced the new boat for the 2014-15 race, the details read like a dream ticket

wish-list. Who wouldnt want the boat that he described? Matthew Sheahan

lifts the lid.

14.15.16.17.18.19.indd 14 9/7/12 20:44:41


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Talking Technical

A t 65ft LOa the new machines will be shorter than the current Volvo Open 70s yet faster, more reliable, robust and affordable. at around 4.5 million each they will cost 30 per cent less with reduced running costs to match. the new design is also guaranteed to be competitive for at least the next two events. But, for many, the big surprise was that the next generation would be a strict one-design, from the board of farr yacht design, a first for the race and a radical move that frostad and his team believe will see a bigger fleet in 2014.

there were a number of objectives in developing the new boat, he explained. the first was to have a minimum of eight boats on the start line of the next race. the next was to lower the cost of entry for teams, but we still wanted to be true to the dna of the race. We want high performance boats that are kings of the ocean and capable of breaking records.

a one-design helps to reduce the overall cost of the boat, but this approach can also influence other areas such as shore support and the availability of spare parts, he continued. We have also designed a boat for the media. the footage broadcast from the boats continues to be a very important part of the race and the deep, well protected cockpit not only makes life more comfortable for the crew,

but it provides somewhere secure for the Media crew Member (McM) to interview on deck, which addresses one of the issues with the current boats.

so how have the rule makers achieved this apparent design nirvana?

One of the clues lies in the canting keel. While the new boats hull is 5ft shorter than the current breed, her keel will be 200mm deeper which, when swung out to 40 degrees, the same angle as currently allowed, will help to generate relatively more righting moment for her size and hence more power aboard a boat that is over three tonnes lighter.

the sail configuration provides another indication as to the thinking behind the design. given that the boat is smaller it is of no surprise that the mast will be correspondingly shorter, but the sail wardrobe has also shrunk to just seven, down from 10. among the sails to be scrubbed is the large overlapping g1 as well as the loose luffed a2 gennakers. aboard the new boat many of the foresails will be mounted on furlers, which will help to reduce the physical demands on the crew, where the numbers have also gone down from the current nine to eight plus an McM, although female teams will be allowed an additional two crew.

and so the logic continues.

A CAnTIng kEEL To +/- 40 dEgREEs wITH 3 dEgREEs oF InCLInE AT AXIs

TwIn undER HuLL RuddERs wITH spARE THAT MAy ALso bE TRAnsoM Hung.

THERE wILL bE TwIn,

REvERsIbLE, RETRACTIng

AsyMMETRIC dAggERboARds.

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For its size the new boat has relatively higher freeboard, explained Pat Shaughnessy, president of Farr Yacht Design. We have given the cabin top more height and increased its width so that it goes out to the sail stack. The combination of the two factors means that we hope to reduce the amount of water coming on deck and then prevent what does from running back to the cockpit between the stack and the cabin.

The companionway access has two doors which means that we have been able to centralise the machinery space inside the boat and set up the winch pedestal drive system to be arranged longitudinally down the centreline of the boat.

Moving the sails in and out of the boat is also made easier by using twin companionway hatches so that sails can be stowed directly into bays below without getting caught up on pedestals. The cockpit is also deeper.

Yet creating a new high performance globe trotting one-design is not without risk. Set the wrong parameters and the whole fleet has a problem rather than individual teams.

Its a valid point, replied Shaughnessy. Historically when you look at one-design boats there is always a possibility that if one boat suffers a failure then the whole fleet will suffer, but if you manage your risks well you can deliver reliability in a fleet. This class will always be more susceptible to damage because of the environment that they operate in and the aggressive manner in which they are sailed.

Were not pursuing an unbreakable boat, but what we are doing is trying to achieve a greater reliability than we have now.

We have opened ourselves up to significantly more scrutiny than we have done in the past and when Volvo said that they wanted

to involve a third-party engineer to review the structure of the boats you might have thought that we would be reluctant. But the truth is, we couldnt be happier. This isnt about keeping secrets, its about the safety of people. No one wants boats to break.

Building an identical fleet of technically advanced expensive boats is also a challenge both financially and from a one-design point of view. Here the answer has been to adopt a similar build concept to Airbus and utilise a consortium of companies led by Green Marine Ltd (England) and

including Multiplast (France), Persico S.p.A. (Italy) and Decision S.A. (Switzerland) to spread the workload.

The boats will be assembled and sold by Green Marine from components that the other companies produce, said Frostad. The arrangement will allow us to produce a completed boat every seven weeks from June next year.

And for those who question whether a one-design could still deliver boats at the leading edge, Frostad had a simple reply.

The boat that we will have

will be as advanced or more than we have ever had. This is a highly developed, high performance boat. In deciding on our approach we had to choose between high technology or boats that were all slightly different. We decided that having a high performance, high technology boat was the most important factor for the race.

There is still no doubt that in choosing a one-design for an extreme race, the bar has been set very high. But the logic that has been applied suggests that the next generation of Volvo boats will indeed be dream machines.

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Talking Technical

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BEAM 5.60 M 5.70 M

MAX DRAFT 4.70 M 4.50 M

BoAT wEIgHT 10,750 kG 14,000 kG

RIgHTINg MoMENT (RM 25)INcLuDINg sTAckINg AND wB 33,000 kG/M 40,000 kG/M

cANT ANgLE 40 40

RIg HEIgHT 30.30 M (99.4 FT) 31.50 M (103.3 FT)

FREEBoARD AT MAsT 1.72 M 1.60 M

MAINsAIL AREA 151 M2 175 M2

woRkINg HEADsAIL AREA 135 M2 (J1) 200 M2 (G1)

BowspRIT LENgTH 2.15 M (7 FT) 1.82 M (6 FT)

NuMBER oF sAILs INcLuDINg sToRM sAILs 7 10

wATER BALLAsT 1 x 1000L (cENTErLINE, FWD) 1 x 1600L (cENTErLINE, AFT) 2 x 800L (AFT WING TANkS)

Were super enthusiastic about the challenge we have in front of us. Its a big challenge but I think were well suited to meet it, and were really excited to be part of it. Weve been involved in the Volvo ocean race and the Whitbread round the World race for over 20 years and its a great honour to be part of whats considered going forward.

PATrIck SHAuGHNESSY

How the new one-Design compares with the Volvo open 70

14.15.16.17.18.19.indd 16 9/7/12 20:46:21


Seahorse International Sailing editor Andrew Hurst talks to Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad about identifying the way forward for a classic ocean contest where improving cost-efficiencies means a lot more than simply slashing operating costs. Value for each sponsor dollar is the key.

As Knut Frostad happily surveyed the 20,000-strong crowd gathered in Galway the evening before the boats arrived, the Volvo Ocean Race CEO was in relieved mood. The format for the next two races was in the public domain, the first objections had been aired and it was time to move on to the detail.

As a start point we looked hard at the current event, says Frostad. We have been pretty happy with how the stopovers have worked, and at the big improvements in the media model, but we know we have to increase the size of the fleet and set ourselves a minimum of eight boats for 2014.

Once we accepted six boats was our lot for this race, we got on and worked hard with what we had. There were problems. With six boats you are much too vulnerable to damage. Leg 1 and then Leg 5 to Brazil were tough for that. But we still ended up with a fantastic race,

a true global sporting contest.Todays teams spent 20-30m

and Frostads objective is for a winning campaign in 2014-15 to be possible for 12-15m. Introducing the new one-design concept will contribute to a halving of the cost.

Thats still a lot of money, concedes Frostad, but its spread over 30-months and theres every reason to believe that for the first time, boats will remain competitive for two or more events.

The gestation of the new boat raised a few eyebrows among those on the outside who expected a more transparent process. There was no open tender, rather we set extremely clear parameters for what we had to achieve, starting with the minimum fleet size; from that we defined five different approaches.

These included a design freeze of the Volvo Open 70, modifying the rule, and a multihull. We invested heavily in each approach, starting last

Frostad targets new frontiers

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autumn and took each to quite an advanced level. For the one-design, for example, we needed to identify a team that would deliver 8-10 of the best possible boats in a tight timeframe. One-design experience was vital for that.

We tested each strategy with the current sponsors and it became clear that only a one-design would allow us to meet our objectives. By the time the decision was made in May 2012, we were well down the chosen path. I believe we have made good choices and we will have a great boat.

Frostad and his team have put in place working groups covering speed development, build development, systems etc, and each group has one representative from each of the current teams.

These will be good boats with a lot of thought behind them. Given the demands of creating such a boat as a true one-design, they may actually be more sophisticated than the current boats. We are incorporating the best bits from the Open 60s and Volvo Open 70s, and for one-design aspects we also looked closely at boats like the MOD 70s, RC44s and AC45s, Frostad says.

Once the boats are sailing we will still be working hard to keep down costs. We have not yet made a decision about multi-boat teams, but there will be no more giant test programmes; and if a team is allowed two boats both will have to race, and race properly. That is non-negotiable.

Rigs are still being discussed. A decision on whether to go with a single sail supplier is being debated. If there are to be multiple suppliers there will be tighter controls on sails than ever in this race... and that drew enough complaints.

In A cHAngIng and challenging world, balancing the 39-year heritage of the race with commercial reality is key.

By taking the race back to Auckland we have gone some way in that direction; with maybe half of the original Southern Ocean mileage. But, to be honest, I do not believe the race will ever go back to how it was 20 years ago. The world has changed, sailing has changed and this event must change with it.

Many traditional enthusiasts

objected to the current course; but I would challenge them to have seen the crowds in Sanya and Abu Dhabi and tell me that this is still a bad thing. More countries are getting into sailing and we cannot stay stuck in the past. Today in Galway there are 42 accredited Chinese journalists! From the UK we have five... Is that a bad thing? I dont think so.

Sure, it is tricky to race to China, to the Middle East, even to the United States. But it is

still about tactics, strategy and boatspeed. Its still sailing.

Set against this is the high level of satisfaction from current sponsors and teams, and I expect at least three of them to return, which would set a new record in terms of returning teams. The big sponsors need a global event, which delivers a global audience.

How important then is the need to retain the sailing audience, while at the same time engaging with a wholly new fan base? In Itaja 260,000 people visited the race village. Many were interested in sailing, but very few had a boat of their own. Are they sailing fans?

I would argue that if we are serious about expanding sailing, then we need to look far beyond our current audience, says Frostad firmly.

There is a generational shift taking place. The majority of those playing the Volvo Ocean Race Game and visiting our website are interested in sailing, but most are younger than the established audience many of whom are now unlikely to change. And we are recording nearly five-times the online hits compared with the previous race.

We also must account for the difference in our funding model compared with other technical sports. In Formula 1, for example, the companies mostly involved use technical advances to improve a commercial product. CAMPER make shoes and they want to sell more footwear. Therefore we have to offer them a wider and bigger audience. They have no use for developments in daggerboard technology. One of the points made most frequently by current sponsors is that although the technology of the race is interesting, for them it has

THE bIg sponsoRs nEEd A gLobAL EvEnT, wHIcH dELIvERs A gLobAL AudIEncE.

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Raising the profiles of the crews, whose race around the world is key to drawing in a global audience, is of paramount importance to Frostad.

The New One-Design

PAUL TODD/VOLVO OceAn RAce

little or no commercial value.Raising the profiles of the

crews, whose race around the world is key to drawing in a global audience, is of paramount importance to Frostad and the change to a one-design boat can only be positive in this process.

We began to see this at the new stopovers. When people had less knowledge of the boats, they focused on the people. We intend to accelerate that process, explains Frostad.

Given the exciting future ahead, will the norwegian with four appearances in the Volvo Ocean Race under his drysuit be sticking to the desk job for another two editions of the race that has taken over his life, or will on the water challenges be too hard to resist?

I do enjoy working in this race, and I want to stay a part of the biggest change since the launch of the Volvo Ocean 60 back in 1991. We have so many great ideas especially on the communication and media side and I have plenty to keep me busy for a while yet.

14.15.16.17.18.19.indd 19 10/7/12 17:41:28

Its a very happy moment for

us and for all the team.

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thIs race. to wIn It Is above all

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Franck cammasgroupama saIlIng team

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Freeze Frame

20.21 Gallery.indd 20 9/7/12 20:50:28

20.21 Gallery.indd 21 9/7/12 20:51:10

The posiTion of the Azores High varies for lots of meteorological reasons, but its not called the Azores High for nothing. And so, when the fleet started out from Lisbon, they were sailing fast in the northwesterly breeze flowing around the eastern side of the high pressure. It was an out-and-out speed test and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it was soon dominated by the overall leaders Franck Cammas and Groupama, and Iker Martnezs Telefnica.

The pair of lead boats were side by side as they approached So Miguel, with PUMA holding a similar line and within easy striking distance, while Abu Dhabi, CAMPER and Sanya were all slightly further south. The Azores High was centred right over the top of the eponymous island chain, and speeds

dropped as they approached. The fleet compressed, but then had to tack in light headwinds to get around So Miguel.

The tack was expensive for the southerly boats, now everyone was fighting to get north into the building breeze of a storm system swirling across the Atlantic. Telefnica broke clear first, but Groupama were still right on their tail, followed by PUMA all three boats within a couple of miles of each other as the wind increased. The leaders heading for the heart of the storm with the race on the line but who could push hardest and keep the boat in one piece?

It was Groupama that had the first problem; trying to reef the mainsail they found it stuck, requiring three trips to the top of the mast for bowman Brad Marsh. Despite continuing trouble with it and an initial drop to fourth place, Franck Cammas and his

French team were soon back in the race, chasing the flying Iker Martnez and Telefnica.

Now it was Telefnicas turn; a damaged starboard rudder could have been fatal but taking a leaf from PUMAs book in the previous race - they swapped it for the spare in an hour, and quickly regained the lead from Groupama. Meanwhile, CAMPER logged the longest 24-hour run of the race 565.82 nm and moved up into third. By now they were all sailing straight at the centre of the storm and with the lead four boats not much more than 20 minutes apart, no one was giving a millimetre.

Groupama and Telefnica put in their final gybe together, and pointed straight at the finish line. Two intense hours later everything unravelled for Martnez and his team; hurling the boat off a wave they broke the port rudder

and damaged the spare on the starboard side. There were no more options. They limped on with marginal control; conceding the lead, the leg and ultimately the race that they had led for so long, with a fifth place finish.

It was left to Franck Cammas and his triumphant French team to lead the way into their home port, with CAMPER second and PUMA third. It meant that Groupama extended their overall lead to 23 points, now ahead of PUMA in second, with CAMPER and Telefnica tied for third and fourth, just five more points behind and there was one leg and two in-port races to go.

22 Life AT The eXTReMe

Lisbon to Lorient

1,940 nm

Days at sea: 58 heartbreak for Telefnica

Lisbon

Lorient

Galway

1 Groupama sailing CAMPER with Emirates PUMA Ocean Racing Abu Dhabi Ocean Team Team team Team New Zealand powered by BERG Racing Telefnica Sanya

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GRoupAMA sAiLinG TeAM on TheiR wAy To The finish of LeG 8.

The average crow would fly north from Lisbon, rounding the northwestern corner of portugal before crossing the Bay of Biscay to arrive in Lorient. The course for Leg 8 was rather different; heading west, back out into the Atlantic to go around the Azores island of so Miguel, before turning northeast towards france. it was 1,940 nm over three times the straight-line distance, and the extra time on the water was to have a decisive effect on the outcome of the race.

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12.13.22.23 Leg Reviews.indd 22 10/7/12 17:45:40


Lorient to Galway

485 nm

Days at sea: 291 CAMPER with Emirates Groupama sailing PUMA Ocean Racing Team Team Abu Dhabi Ocean Team New Zealand team powered by BERG Telefnica Sanya Racing

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CAMPER RoundIng THE FAsTnET RoCk.

End gamegRouPAMA HAd A LEAd of 23 points after leg 8, and followed that up with a hometown win in the Bretagne in-Port Race in lorient. So they were 25 points clear with just leg 9 and the Discover ireland in-Port Race left to complete. led by Ken Reads PUMA, with CAMPER another four points back, the chasing pack had to hope for a serious French mistake.

leg 9 was a more or less straightforward 550-nautical mile dash from lorient to Galway. The fleet rounded le de Groix and Belle le after the opening inshore legs, before turning north and heading for the iconic Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of ireland. it was a speed test, reaching in a solid southwesterly all the way out past Ushant into the open water of the Western Approaches. iker Martnez and Telefnica led with a narrow edge over Chris Nicholsons CAMPER.

After an early split the fleet was forced back together by an exclusion zone created to keep them out of the shipping lanes. CAMPER shouldered their way to the front with some well-timed and executed sail changes but it was desperately tight, with just a mile between the top four boats as they blasted towards ireland in a building breeze and setting sun.

A second split emerged with CAMPER leading from the middle lane, Telefnica holding a line slightly to the east of her, and PUMA and Groupama set up to the west;

Abu Dhabi and Sanya trailed, the former with suspected keel damage. The minimal gaps in the front pack meant that every sail change saw a change in the leaderboard. in the end, it was PUMA that pulled it all together to lead around the Fastnet Rock, followed by Telefnica in second, CAMPER third and Groupama fourth just six minutes between the entire group.

There were few options as the pack skirted the southwestern tip of ireland, before the racetrack opened up again as they headed across the Celtic Sea to the Aran islands. Now conditions changed with the wind lighter and more from the south the power reaching was over and it was all about downwind running in light air. it was CAMPER who seemed to have prepared best for this part of the race, and they gradually edged into the lead.

The fleet had to round Eiragh lighthouse at the western end of the Aran islands, and that meant a gybe to the east. First to go were Groupama, followed by CAMPER and then PUMA. Telefnica held on, and it proved to be costly. The early gybe maintained CAMPERs lead and moved Groupama up into second PUMA dropping to third, leaving Telefnica fourth.

And that was exactly how it finished. Despite light and testing conditions in Galway Bay there were no more potholes, and no more passes.

The result gave skipper Franck Cammas and his Groupama team an unbeatable 24-point lead with just the Discover ireland in-Port Race to go. CAMPERs leg 9 win effectively secured them second place, with PUMA six points behind them in third. And with a maximum of six points available for first place in the Discover ireland in-Port Race, the long-term leaders Telefnica found themselves off the podium completely, fourth and with an impossible deficit of nine points to make up to PUMA.

it was all done but for the final round of celebrating on what was to be a gloriously Gallic and Gaelic, Galway afternoon.

one final dash would settle the Volvo ocean Race 2011-12 and it was Franck Cammas and groupamas to lose.

Lisbon

Lorient

Galway

12.13.22.23 Leg Reviews.indd 23 9/7/12 20:35:56

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Going out to the start of Leg 1 in Alicante, what were your goals, what were your aspirations?I think we all knew there was only a slim chance of winning the race, but our aspirations were very clear. We wanted to put a very solid team into the race both on the shore and on the water. A team that could take every opportunity and try to turn it into something.

As the race unravelled, in true Volvo Ocean Race fashion, it threw everything at us. I believe this team across the board rose to some almost unsolvable challenges, kept the boat in the race, and became stronger for it. It didnt show on the leader board, but it certainly showed every day that we went to work.

How quickly after the damage became apparent did you realise you would have to can Leg 1?Almost immediately. We were very lucky to not lose the boat altogether. If we had been in the middle of an ocean we would for sure have had to leave the boat. What happened after the damage, the way the boat was shipped to Cape Town, repaired in an incredibly short period of time, and returned to the race, is where the true story lies, and you will find the heroes of that story in the shore team.

How do you stay match fit mentally when spending so much time on the sidelines?This is definitely one of the tougher

things to deal with. Physically you can gain an advantage through hitting the gym, eating well, sleeping normally. It has been very well documented the damage that is done to a Volvo sailors body as he travels around the world. I am sure I arrived fitter in Cape Town than I was when we left Alicante.

What does not get developed is the team dynamic of sailing together 24 hours a day. Normally by the time you have completed the first leg, manoeuvres that were very noisy and took 45 minutes to complete, take place in almost silence in half the time. You have found many strengths and weaknesses in the team, the boat and your competitors. We were unable to have these sorts of dynamics evolving until half way through the race. In fact I think it was in China where we able to have a serious discussion about pure performance and team dynamics, as opposed to how we are going to replace a six-metre section of our bow in eight days.

Do you stick to a fitness and diet regime?Yes, very much so. With the nature and pure pressure of the race you have to be at the top of your physical game. You take a pounding on these boats, and you need to be match fit, if you are going to survive.

To what extent did the team bind together and develop its own dynamic?This team is unique in the way it became so much stronger from

a series of almost unthinkable mechanical failures. Most normal teams would have imploded under some of the pressure and situations, let alone locations, that this team has had to fight its way out of to stay in the race. This was an exceptional team throughout, and I believe after four races I am in a position to be a fair judge of that!

Which is worse accidentally making coffee with salt water at sea or having to leave it to a barrista to make good coffee for you ashore?How did you know I have knocked up the odd cup of coffee, with a touch of salt water! So much for what goes on the boat stays on the boat! No question about the answer to this one, having one made ashore while the rest of the lads are on the Racetrack is brutal. Remember, in this part of the sport, the first goal is to sail around the world, then win.

Did you know anything about Madagascar before going there? What are the best memories?I knew very little about Madagascar, apart from what I had seen in the movie with the kids. I think about all I knew was where it was. It was an eye-opening experience that left us all with a lot of memories and stomach bugs. We were all very moved by how helpful everyone was to us. It was a very humbling experience, to see just how little some people in the world have,

and how much they are willing to give. An experience like this one is, in a sense, what the Volvo Ocean Race is all about. You can have the perfect plan for the race, and the only thing that is for sure in this race is that that plan will change, and to expect the unexpected. How your team responds to these challenges is what defines the team. I feel very privileged to have been part of an exceptional group of people who have met some extraordinary challenges.

Did you all maintain a sense of humour or did heads drop?We have had our moments of pure and absolute frustration. But I dont think we have ever lost our sense of humour or ability to take the situations we were in and have a good laugh at them.

What would you have done differently with the benefit of hindsight?This is an easy one to answer, started preparing for this race two years beforehand, and raced a new boat. Of course there are many things that you would like to change. But this race is simply all about preparation; the team that has the most time on the water before the race traditionally wins it. It is happening again as I write this. I really dont believe our team could have done much more with the 12 weeks we had to prepare. It is plain and simple, we didnt have a lot of options, we had a deck of cards to play with, and did the best we could with the tools we had had available to us at the

Sanyas Richard Mason brings perspective to adversity

Barristas are brutal

26.27 Q&A.indd 26 9/7/12 20:52:46


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time. It was a very brave management team that took this project on. The only thing you could have done in hindsight is said no!!!

Has this put you off ocean racing?Absolutely not!

Whats in the post-Volvo diary?More racing. The diary is looking very full at this stage, in fact two weeks after completing the Volvo, I am getting back on the old PUMA for the chicago Mac race. Must be nuts but it should be a bit of fun.

Do you decide, or your wife, or your children?everything we do is done as a family, but remember this. Both my children are Volvo babies, it is in their blood, they dont know anything different, they have grown up with the race. I just hope they dont decide to race in it. Tennis stars please!

26.27 Q&A.indd 27 9/7/12 20:53:08


After a truly mammoth edition of the Volvo Ocean Race that saw an unprecedented number of incidents, none of the teams escaped entirely unscathed. Yet there were plenty of high points, too, for the six teams, as the skippers readily acknowledge.

Hindsight and heartache

For Franck Cammas, nothing can compare with the elation of becoming the overall winner in a victory that he described as the greatest of his extensive sailing career.

But, beyond the triumph itself, there were other significant moments he counts as high points. Coming hard on a wavering start to the race in Leg 1, where Groupama placed third only because of the other boats that had suspended racing, a win on the sprint leg from Sharjah into Abu Dhabi was a turning-point.

Our mindset changed after that, Cammas said, reflecting just after the race had ended. Our win into Auckland was also great but, after this, it all started to come together, so we knew we were in the fight and it pushed us all to go more and more.

The leg out of Auckland proved momentous for every team but, as Groupama led into the final days, dismasting off Uruguay was the low point of the entire race for Cammas.

Looking back, he is now able to extract a positive even from that.

We had been first and had a great leg from Auckland and all that mood came down with the mast, he said. But we worked hard to overcome and we had a good result in third, even with a broken mast! We lost the least amount of points compared with anyone else for their breakages.

Unsurprisingly, near catastrophe was

foremost on the list of low points for the other skippers.

Weve had a pretty rotten run of luck, said Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson. I cant pretend to be happy with where we finished from a performance standpoint. However, do I think we worked very hard to make it go fast? Absolutely. And did we have a great bunch of guys working to go faster and faster? Absolutely.

The lows have been our lack of pace and reliability and thats something Ive never had to endure in the Volvo Ocean Race before and thats been brutal, added the former race winner. Its been tougher than I expected.

We had an amazing team that worked so hard during all our lows and, for me, thats been the pinnacle of our performance. They worked through thick and thin to keep us in the race.

Double Olympic medallist Ian Walker on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing found lack of pace to be a huge downside to their campaign, on top of boat breakages that saw Azzam shipped for two legs.

The low points? Well you have to start with the broken mast and not being able to sail in the first leg and learn from it it put us on the back foot logistically for the next several stopovers.

Then, not finishing the Southern Ocean leg when we damaged the boat and then not making it to Brazil in time without shipping it, he said. I cant remember the last time I retired

from a race; Ive retired from two legs in this race.However, the two-times skipper highlighted

the teams Etihad Airways In-Port Race win before a home crowd in Abu Dhabi as an important milestone that partially offset the disappointment of the campaign. Personally, I felt almost the lowest point was when we came into Miami, he said. Up until then we had hopes that we might be quick off wind and be competitive with these guys.

But, on the leg from Brazil to Miami, there wasnt one wind angle where we felt we had an edge. That was where it became totally apparent that we had nothing in the locker.

We clearly didnt give up hope because we wouldnt have gone out and won the next leg but that was still where reality dawned. This race has been more competitive than ever.

That leg victory was also massively important for Walker as it was the only leg win in two races round the world, underscoring just how tough a challenge the Volvo has become.

So how does he cope with the stress of such setbacks?

One thing about me is that I can put things in perspective. My sailing partner died in a car crash in 1997 and when you go through things like that you realise that its a sport, that were very privileged to be involved in this, and you have to keep it in perspective and just keep doing your best and thats all you can do.

CHRISnIcHoLsonCAMPER WITH EMIRATES TEAM nEW zEALAnD

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28.29 Skippersv2.indd 28 11/7/12 12:06:51


IAN ROMAN/VOlVO OceAN RAce

Teamwork and stress were also big factors for cAMPeR with emirates Team New Zealand, who ultimately placed second overall, despite concerns that their boat was not as quick as others.

FoR skIppER chris Nicholson, winning the Auckland In-Port Race was on a par with victory in the final leg into Galway. It was our first offshore leg win and it propelled us into second overall, said Nicholson. We made some big tactical decisions on that last leg that went well, especially after coming second into lorient. So I think we put together a good last section of the race.

That cAMPeR were still challenging for the podium at that stage was down to some tough decisions taken during their Southern Ocean ordeal months earlier.

It came on top of a very difficult time in the middle part of the race, when we had some very big decisions to make, notably when we broke the boat and had to repair it in Puerto Montt in chile, Nicholson recalled. If we hadnt made those decisions then, we wouldnt be in second overall.

Those decisions, to repair the boat and sail on to Itaja, arriving just in time to prepare for the next leg, could easily have swung towards retiring from the leg entirely and shipping to Brazil. The overall outcome of the race could have been very different.

You learn plenty about yourself and you hope that youre doing it right. You almost have to step out of yourself, look down on the boat and ask, Is this the right way to handle it? It was very hard but I was very proud of what we all did as a team in those times, Nicholson concluded.

That fifth leg into Brazil was a high point for PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BeRG skipper Ken Read. Victory marked the turning point in a campaign that had looked so promising before they dismasted in the opening leg to South Africa.

It might go down in history as the most ruthless leg ever; not only to survive it but to win it is incredibly special, he said. And then the welcome into Brazil. We didnt know what to expect but it was just emotional and wild, like nothing we have ever seen in the sport of sailing.

Read went on to win the next leg into Miami, which was special for the American-based team. Nevertheless, the two leg wins could only partially make up for the horror of that dismasting so early on.

When you come off watch and six seconds later you hear a bang and your mast is lying in the water in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Youre in the middle of the ocean and you think your race is over but we didnt allow ourselves to think that way and we fought back.

In fact, for Read, what he calls the worst

morning of my sailing career was leaving china after the Sanya stopover. Due to a storm warning, the fleet started the leg with a short 40-mile stage back to Sanya for an overnight stop before a staggered restart according to finishing times.

Read had led the fleet for most of the short course only to sail into a calm patch that the pursuing fleet could spot. The following morning, Read had to wait 37 minutes as the other boats sailed away, leaving the PUMA team becalmed at the start.

High performance and victory in the opening three legs were the undoubted high points of the race for Telefnica skipper Iker Martnez.

But the Spanish Olympic gold medallists own favourite moment was actually in leg 8 when he reckons his team was at its peak in performance terms, blasting across the Bay of Biscay to lorient.

That quickly changed to the low point when the crew broke their second rudder and scuppered all chances.

We knew pretty quick after breaking the second rudder that it was over. We couldnt go fast and it was a dangerous situation on the boat, said Martnez. This is the Volvo Ocean race and you have to be at the limit.

Our sponsors were telling us that we had done a great job, but we didnt enter to be second or third, so it was hard.

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If we hadnt made those decisions then, we wouldnt be in second overall.cHRIS NIcHOlSON

28.29 Skippersv2.indd 29 11/7/12 12:07:25


Memories are made of this

Words: cARLA AnsELMI

30.31.32 MCMs.indd 30 9/7/12 20:55:36


photos left to right: hamish hooper/Camper etNZ/VolVo oCeaN raCe, YaNN riou/groupama sailiNg team/VolVo oCeaN raCe, NiCk DaNa/abu Dhabi oCeaN raCiNg/VolVo oCeaN raCe, amorY ross/puma oCeaN raCiNg/VolVo oCeaN raCe, aNDrs soriaNo/team saNYa/VolVo oCeaN raCe, Diego fruCtuoso/team telefoNiCa/VolVo oCeaN raCe, YVaN ZeDDa

frontline reporters look back on their life-changing experiences as media Crew members in the Volvo ocean race 2011-12.

They are the witnesses, the wordsmiths, the cameramen and chroniclers. No other sporting event has an embedded reporter who can deliver to fans a direct account of what is going on in the middle of the ocean. No other event has a project quite so ambitious as the Volvo ocean races media Crew member (mCm) programme.

the mCms have different personalities, skills and approaches to a job that is among the most demanding, and delicate, on board. Now that the 11th running of the race is complete, the six men,

whose job was not only to report from on board but also to prepare meals for the crews, have time to reflect on their nine-month adventure around the world.

for amory ross, reporting from puma ocean racing powered by berg, the key factor to the success of the project was feeling part of the team. investing yourself in the success of a group of people with one common goal, and ultimately

producing content that shows and shares a passion for the racing, the sea, and the Volvo ocean race that was the best thing about the race.

Camper with emirates team New Zealands hamish hooper agreed. i loved being part of a team, sharing the highs and lows, the ups and downs.

Diego fructuoso sent back perhaps the most iconic footage of the race with a wave video that went viral. for him, a leg victory for the team after weeks at sea gave him more satisfaction than anything else.

You just cant explain the feeling, said the spaniard.

at 26, Nick Dana with abu Dhabi ocean racing, was the youngest mCm on this edition of the race and, although he loved the sailing, he also had the opportunity to take his journalistic skills to a new level. for him, capturing those moments that people watching on land dont get to see was very satisfying. it was a similar experience for sanyas andrs soriano, who felt it was a privilege to be the gateway for fans to see the race from the on board perspective.

as with every job, being an mCm had its downsides. Yann riou of french winners groupama disliked all that was not related

to media work, while Dana felt bad about not being able to help with the sailing. its natural to want to help people who are struggling and its a mental burden when you think you are not contributing enough to the social structure youre in, said Dana.

soriano is a sailor at heart too. my human instinct tells me to give the crew a hand when they are struggling, but i couldnt, he said.

ross found the most difficult aspect was finding time to shoot footage. taking pictures, writing blogs, and recording video were a very small percentage of how i spent my time on board, he said.

over the nine months of hard work, some special golden moments will be etched in the memory of the lucky six forever, while a camaraderie developed among them as the fleet ploughed its way around the world. they shared their work and adventures, and became good friends, helping each other when they could.

We were fortunate that everyone rubbed along very well and we could only benefit from sharing tips, advice, troubles, and struggles, ross said.

Capturing those moments that people watching on land dont get to see was very satifsfying.

30.31.32 MCMs.indd 31 9/7/12 20:56:09

Despite not being allowed to contribute to the teams sailing success, the MCMs had their own prize to fight for. Race partner Inmarsat presented an award to the best MCM on each of the nine legs as well as an overall prize, which put extra pressure on their shoulders.

It was very hard to be good at everything and it very much depended on the situation, the conditions, and the spirit on board. For me the Southern Ocean was the best, explained Groupamas Riou.

Hooper, who does not have a sailing background, found just doing the race was incredible and he was content with what he achieved. Ross prided himself personally for rounding Cape Horn and professionally for covering PUMAs dismasting and the teams adventures on Tristan da Cunha during Leg 1. Cape Horn was an emotional time for me and with the pressure of documenting a momentous moment, I remember being relieved and completely exhausted when the long and tiring day was over. But when you have a lot to say, words come easily and I recall hitting send and feeling very happy to have shared my experience.

As for Tristan da Cunha, that was about being presented with an unfortunate challenge and making the most of it.

It was the same for Soriano, when Sanya suffered damage in the Southern Ocean. The day after we broke our rudder on Leg 5, I took a photo of the face of Tiger [Teng Jiang He] and his expression was worth a thousand words.

Fitting into a professional sailing crew was always going to present a challenge yet it was one all six managed to rise to.

On board CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, the team were always good to Hooper, or Hoops as they called him. The best praise was when I saw the positive reaction of my team mates, like a good interview, it was very rewarding.

Ross said the best praise was undoubtedly a thanks for all your hard work. And the worst: Get out of my way! I hated it. I never wanted to be in the way not even in the name of great television, he said.

NiNe moNths away from home, sailing offshore in some of the worst weather imaginable can test anyones endurance and all the MCMs missed something special by being away. There was never a free moment onboard PUMA, and downtime doesnt exist. For some it

was missing the Rugby World Cup or football, but for all, the separation from family and friends was by far the biggest downside. Yann Riou even yearned for his Brittany, missing not only the place but its way of life as well as his family and the friends he has there.

It was a learning process that never stopped, and the race taught the class of 2011-12 a lot, both personally and professionally. You do not realise before you start that this is really life at the extreme. Ive learned that, and also what it feels like to be fulfilling ones dream, remarked Soriano. Riou, who already has a long and varied sailing career, is convinced that the Volvo Ocean Race has taught him a new job and Fructuoso, too, admitted that he learned new technical skills. Dana said that the whole experience has strengthened him as a person. You have to work at a constant high level and you need to be committed and strong-willed to do that.

Its taught me about myself, said Ross. I love a challenge, pushing my own limits and finding my boundaries. But it was Hooper who learned perhaps one of the biggest lessons that time never stops ticking. If I was having a great time I had to make the most of it because I knew it was going to end. If it was hellish on board or I was feeling bad, I just kept going because I knew that was going to end too.

32 LiFe at the eXtReme

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Sign up online at fanclub.volvooceanrace.com

These days matching global sports with cities that wish to host them is about much more than selling a feel-good factor. The process is more scientific, much more rigorous, and much more complicated. Enough statistics to employ an army of consultants the race partners with the Boston Consulting Group and a lot of lining up to be done before all the ducks are in a row.

The sponsors want a route that meets their business plans, the teams want a route that is a true test in sporting terms, the organisers want a route that will deliver a combination of race integrity and top line support all the way round, and the cities want to bring something that will deliver prestige, entertainment, and a return on their investment in both tourism and attracting trade and industry.

There are political hurdles to negotiate along the way. We often have to be acutely aware of the political background, says Buchanan of the work done by The Sports Consultancy in a variety of events and countries. But cities, regions, nations and governments really understand the value which a major sports event can bring.

Enough, anyway, for Buchanan to say: I am 100 per cent confident I can deliver a race route by December because, despite the continuing turmoil in the global economy, the value of the Volvo is becoming a constant, something that is a quantifiable value for a city.

The storm-tossed world of the Volvo Ocean Race applies not only to the crews battling their way through gale-force winds and big seas. It also applies to dry land, which has been in financial turmoil for the last four years.

Angus Buchanan is managing the process of choosing host ports for the 2014-15 edition and despite the economic situation he is prepared to stretch his neck and his reputation by predicting success.

Sponsors target quality


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There is, it appears, a flight to quality in a recession, a tendency to pick something with a known track record.

while, as far as the crews are concerned, they are taking part in a cold, hard, professional competition, there is, for all the locals who turn up to look at the fleet and the sailors, a continuing element of the romantic adventure which is aspirational and even the stuff of dreams.

although there were upwards of 60 venues expressing interest for the next race there was a rapid weeding process, not least because many of them would not fit into some of the basic criteria.

The ports have to fit into an overall route that will remain eastwards around the world, be accessible at the time of year the boats would be due to arrive, have the shore facilities that can support

the hi-tech yachts, and have a focal point which a large enough population can visit.

They also have to be able to stage an inshore race, an element of the overall challenge which, if anything, is growing in importance. There had been an attempt to link entries to host ports but this is not always possible, though it could be a deal-decider especially for a new venue.

while sponsors want to be

able to use the ports for corporate hospitality and international marketing programmes, the core values of the race have to be maintained.

The boats have to be fast and difficult to sail to keep the competition and competitors at the highest level and to fulfil the wishes of all the host cities, which include knowing they are hosting a world class event.

Few fit the Volvo mould and

it is tough for smaller players at a time when, if anything, there is a proliferation of opportunities, says Buchanan. There is an increasing move towards sophistication when you have a street full of international sports federations and governing bodies in lausanne with people constantly on the road looking for places to host their events. a few years ago, in more buoyant times, there was perhaps a little more jam around, decisions were taken more easily. That has changed a lot.

However, when all instincts tell you that countries and cities should be shutting their cheque books, there is, if anything, a bigger appetite than ever to host sports events and, in particular, the Volvo ocean race.

The value of the Volvo is becoming a constant, something that is a very quantifiable value for a city.angus BucHanan

34.35 Business.indd 35 10/7/12 15:40:43


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MIRRoR, MIRRoR.Abu DHAbI ocEAn RAcIng TRAInED In poRTugAL pRIoR To THE sTART.

Medical trends confirm an indisputable fact about the modern day Volvo ocean Race: be fit or be damned.

With just a few hours of the race left, there had been 484 medical incidents reported to race headquarters, which was an average of 60 incidents per leg. It sounds like a lot but the information collected by the Volvo ocean Race medical team covers every type of injury and illness from headaches to broken backs.

Happily there have been no broken backs and according to the data, neither has any constipation been reported, which comes as a big surprise bearing in mind the restricted diets at sea!

compared with the previous race in 2008-09, where there were 53 incidents reported each leg there has been a marked increase in the number of back problems reported a

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