Cape Town-South Africa 2011. The Volvo Ocean race stop over starting November 2011 through December 2011.
The gruelling Volvo Ocean Race, described as the Everest of Sailing, was initiated in 2001. The route covers 39 000 nautical miles of the world's most treacherous seas and takes nearly nine months to complete.
Every vessel consists of a crew of 11, whose skill, physical endurance and competitive spirit are put to the test as they race day and night for up to 20 days at a time.
The
Volvo Open 70 (sometimes referred to as a Volvo Ocean 70) is the former class of racing yachts designed for the
Volvo Ocean Race. It was first used in the 2005-2006 race (replacing the
Volvo Ocean 60 yachts which were first used in 1993) and use a
Canting keel which is capable of canting transversely up to an angle of 40 degrees. According to the VO70 rule, the
yachts can be made from
glass fibres,
aramid fibres, or
carbon fibres (which were not allowed for the
VO60’s). The Volvo Open 70 is not a singular yacht design or boat but rather a set of design rules to which competing boats must adhere. This is similar to the concept to the design and construction rules that define a racing car. Competing teams design and build boats within the scope of this rule to try and come up with the fastest boat for the expected conditions of the race. Version 2 of the VO70 rule which
“has been further developed to apply the lessons learned on the last event and ensure the continuing evolution of this outstanding class” was released in September 2006. A revised VO70 rule, version 3, has been released in 2011. It was announced the boat would be replaced by the
Volvo One-Design for future editions of the race during a stopover in the
2011-2012 Edition of the Volvo Ocean Race on June 28, 2012 in
Lorient,
France.
[There are now a number of the 70's heading to Australia for the 2013 Sydney Hobart
