The official Volvo Ocean Race thread...
Discussion
Oh dear. Only 6 starters and two of them have already "suspended racing" as Sanya have suffered hull damage and Abu Dhabi have dropped thier rig...and that's after 2 days of racing. What a joke.
I'm just really starting to lose interest in this kind of thing now...it seems like an awful lot of ocean races are just plagued by gear failure, totally diluting the whole point of the race. Is it time that the organisers start to insist that the boats are seriously over-engineered and built to sail a bit slower so at least it stays as a yacht race rather than a global logistics exercise?
OK so it was breezy but not extreme...there's plenty of 20-30 foot cruisers will plod thier way upwind in 30 knots and big seas without falling apart. And I don't even want to mention the word "keel" and "place your bets" in the same sentence.
One of these days there is going to be a really serious accident...Rambler was a close call and that was in sight of land. Please can we not wait until this happens before people sit up and take note?
Thoughts?
I'm just really starting to lose interest in this kind of thing now...it seems like an awful lot of ocean races are just plagued by gear failure, totally diluting the whole point of the race. Is it time that the organisers start to insist that the boats are seriously over-engineered and built to sail a bit slower so at least it stays as a yacht race rather than a global logistics exercise?
OK so it was breezy but not extreme...there's plenty of 20-30 foot cruisers will plod thier way upwind in 30 knots and big seas without falling apart. And I don't even want to mention the word "keel" and "place your bets" in the same sentence.
One of these days there is going to be a really serious accident...Rambler was a close call and that was in sight of land. Please can we not wait until this happens before people sit up and take note?
Thoughts?
It's difficult, as this is really the formula one of the sailing world, along with the Vendee etc. You'll always get the teams pushing the limits. I love watching / following these races, but get your point on safety. When they're steaming along at 20+ knots in the southern ocean in the dark it must be pretty frightening. You're a long way from help if anything happens.
My brother was involved in the running of the Velux 5 oceans a few years ago and the level of support that goes into making sure people are safe was incredible.
My brother was involved in the running of the Velux 5 oceans a few years ago and the level of support that goes into making sure people are safe was incredible.
Hmmm, looks like Sanya might have hit something so there's not much you can do about that, and without watertight bulkheads your humble cruiser would have sank.
But I do just wonder if the shape of the 70s and the swing keels just makes them too extreme and too fast. I guess for the race, finishers are better for the crews, sponsors, spectators/followers and organisers...and that's assuming everyone is safe in a DNF situation.
I just can't help thinking that a slower, more bulletproof, fixed keel, VO60/TP52 style craft would just make for safer, and closer, racing.
But I do just wonder if the shape of the 70s and the swing keels just makes them too extreme and too fast. I guess for the race, finishers are better for the crews, sponsors, spectators/followers and organisers...and that's assuming everyone is safe in a DNF situation.
I just can't help thinking that a slower, more bulletproof, fixed keel, VO60/TP52 style craft would just make for safer, and closer, racing.
Chris Dixon hammered the s
t out of Tokio a W60, the hull on that started to delaminate and the 24 hr runs from that vintage were probably 40% less than today.
The boats today are under enormous stresses and strains, it does amaze me how many "submerged" objects there are in the sea
The design of those boats should be that they break just after circumnavigation. It does appear that some designs are a bit better than others but seeing as most of the racing is offshore the speed of the boat only really defines the time between legs.
I think the public would prefer to see boats raced on a more "match racing basis" where its the crew and tactical decisions which make the difference rather than who can design the best boat that fits into the limits of the Volvo rule book. Unfortunately people want to see the monohull 24hr run beaten every couple of years which can make people sail a little on the limit.
I can confirm that helming a W60 at 28+ knots boat speed in 40+ knots of wind in the North Atlantic is bloody exciting, looking back I just realise how stupid you can be aged 22!
t out of Tokio a W60, the hull on that started to delaminate and the 24 hr runs from that vintage were probably 40% less than today. The boats today are under enormous stresses and strains, it does amaze me how many "submerged" objects there are in the sea
The design of those boats should be that they break just after circumnavigation. It does appear that some designs are a bit better than others but seeing as most of the racing is offshore the speed of the boat only really defines the time between legs.
I think the public would prefer to see boats raced on a more "match racing basis" where its the crew and tactical decisions which make the difference rather than who can design the best boat that fits into the limits of the Volvo rule book. Unfortunately people want to see the monohull 24hr run beaten every couple of years which can make people sail a little on the limit.
I can confirm that helming a W60 at 28+ knots boat speed in 40+ knots of wind in the North Atlantic is bloody exciting, looking back I just realise how stupid you can be aged 22!
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