Four-time racer Mason to be port supremo

Download

IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race

Download

IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race

Download

Andrés Soriano/Team Sanya/Volvo Ocean Race

Richard Mason, four-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor and the man who led the shore crew for Team SCA women’s team in the last edition, has been appointed the event’s Head of Port Operations (full story below).

– The love affair continues for Aussie Richard

– Newcomer to head up ports operations

– Volvo Ocean Race ‘a life sentence’, he jokes

ALICANTE, Spain, November 25 – Richard Mason, four-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor and the man who led the shore crew for Team SCA women’s team in the last edition, has been appointed the event’s Head of Port Operations.

Mason, 41, will be responsible from the race’s side for the running of all the ports for the next edition in 2017-18 and be personally overseeing half of them, with Adolfo Rodriguez taking care of the others.

Many fans from 2014-15 will remember the Sydney-born sailor as part of the popular TV commentary team. He summed up his new challenge in one word: ‘Huge’.

“We’ll very much run an engaged, flat management,” he said.

“We’ll get the right people for the right roles and run a very tight team, where everyone is very much empowered to run their areas.

“It’s no different from a team taking part in the race – you’ve got to get the right people,” he continued.

For the ever-smiling Mason, this will also be a real labour of love. “The harsh brutality of the Volvo Ocean Race is that it’s a life sentence,” he said, only half-joking.

“There’s no two ways to approach or look at it any other way. When you’re in it, you’re fully in. It’s a crime of passion and that’s what makes it unique.

”It’s bizarre, it’s mad – but it’s brilliant.”

That love affair, which took in competing in four races prior to 2014-15 onboard Assa Abloy (2001-02), Ericsson 1 (2005-06), Ericsson 3 (2008-09) and Team Sanya (2011-12), began for Mason as a youngster in Auckland during the 1981-82 race.

“My family was closely associated with some of the crew of Ceramco (New Zealand) and Lion (New Zealand), and as a young boy at the ripe old age of about seven, I have photos of me hanging off the wheel on Ceramco in Auckland. I was hooked.

“So I’ve had a fascination and a connection to the race for as long as I can remember. It was just something I wanted to do from a very young age.”

As a youngster eager to learn, he was given the opportunity to sail with some of the New Zealand’s all-time greats like Russell Coutts, Ray Davies, Chris Dixon and Ross Field.

The latter introduced him into professional sailing via the Round Europe Race in 1997, onboard a Grand Mistral. Then he was introduced to the late Magnus Olsson through various Swedish connections.

“Magnus invited me to come and trial with Assa Abloy for the 2001-02 race and they were nice enough to give me a spot and off we went. I’ve never looked back since,” he said.

“It’s the age old story of it getting into your blood and you’re in a world of trouble,” he laughs.

Mason plans to continue working as a commentator for the Race after making his debut in the 12th edition.

“I was thrown in the deep end sitting there next to our producer, who was looking wild-eyed, and saying to himself: ‘God, I know what he’s thinking – he’d better not say it!’”

Typically, Mason took on the new challenge in his stride but, make no mistake, his heart will be always be with the sailors on the water.

He summed himself up: “There’s enough drive for sailing left there to keep a firm engagement with the roots of the race.”

via Four-time racer Mason to be port supremo| Volvo Ocean Race.

Celebrity model for Clipper Race leg

20 Nov 2015

Model Amy Willerton will join the final leg of the 2015-2016 Clipper Race

Miss Universe UK winner Amy Willerton will swap heels for keels as she joins the final leg of the Clipper 2015-2016 Round the World Yacht Race.

The former I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant will join the Garmin team, sailing 3,350nm across the Atlantic Ocean to complete the 10th edition of the world’s longest ocean race.

Ms Willerton, 23, who has no previous sailing experience, prepared for the challenge by completing an intensive four week training course at the race’s base in Sydney.

She said: “I don’t think most people would associate me with challenges like this, as they just see a girly-girl in front of a camera. However, I’m a real tomboy at heart and I can’t wait to get stuck into this challenge.”

Legendary sailor, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, established the 40,000 mile ocean odyssey in order to allow non-sailors the opportunity to experience the thrill of ocean racing.

The race consists of 12 teams competing in some of the harshest conditions and is the only event of its kind which trains amateurs to become ocean racers.

After meeting Ms Willerton at the Clipper training headquarters, Sir Robin commented: “Amy really impressed our training team in Australia and I have no doubt she will put everything into the experience and be a worthy crew member.”

“Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean is no easy feat and it takes a huge amount of dedication and team work,” he added.

In contrast to her glamorous lifestyle, Ms Willerton will sleep in a small bunk and share a confined 70ft living space with up to 23 other crew members. She will be in a watch system working four hour shifts, taking her turn to cook and clean for the entire team, all while the boat can be heeling over at a forty-five degree angle.

After stopovers in Northern Ireland and the Netherlands, Ms Willerton and the rest of the team will conclude in London on 30 July 2016 with a Thames River parade.

Explaining why she chose the final leg of the race, Ms Willerton said: “I am now based in the US and work a lot in New York so sailing home to London means a lot to me.”

“I’ve made the trip many times by air but never in my wildest imagination would I have thought I would ever sail all that way.”

via Boating Business – Celebrity model for Clipper Race leg.

Scott set for Finn world title defence

Written by RYA | 20 November 2015

Scott aiming for third Finn World Championship title

Finn World Champion Giles Scott is hoping to round off a long 2015 season with a successful title defence at the Finn Gold Cup, which gets underway in Takapuna, New Zealand, on Tuesday (24 November).

Scott will be aiming for a third world title to add to his 2014 and 2011 victories, but with national and individual Olympic qualifying berths at stake across the 28 nations set to compete, the Briton knows he’ll face a tough battle if he’s to keep his hands on the coveted Gold Cup when the regatta draws to a close on 29 November.

Scott’s own 2016 Olympic berth was confirmed in September, and the 28-year-old wants to build on his winning run by way of preparation towards the Rio Games.

“The Gold Cup is the event that any Finn sailor wants to win every year and this year is certainly no different, especially being a year out from the Games,” Scott remarked.

“It will arguably be the strongest fleet of the cycle and will be a very tough-fought week for sure.  I’m excited to get the racing underway and hopefully Takapuna can bring some good racing conditions for us.”

“There are a couple of very good Kiwis here who’ve done an awful lot of sailing here at Takapuna, and then there’s a group of ten or so guys who are certainly capable of winning the week. It’ll be incredibly hard fought – no different from any other regatta!”

Scott enjoyed a stint in Auckland in 2013 as part of his America’s Cup stint with Luna Rossa, and he knows if he can expect anything from the racing conditions in the New Zealand venue – it’s to expect anything!

“I’ve spent a long time sailing out on the race area, but I’ve done very little sailing there in Finns, so that’s a little different!” he explained.

“Typically I think it’s offshore, shifty, generally reasonably windy.  But it’s a bit like the UK.  You can get anything, it just depends what system is coming across.  We’re probably expecting a bit of a mixed bag of a week.”

Also hoping to be in the chase next week are British Sailing Team Podium sailors Ed Wright and Ben Cornish. The 38-year-old Wright is a Finn class veteran and five-time World Championship medallist, winning gold in 2010 and bronze at the most recent edition at Santander in 2014.

“It would be great to win the Finn Gold Cup again,” Wright admitted.

“But there are many sailors that have the potential so as it’s Takapuna and pretty shifty, let’s hope it goes my way. I am fast enough. I just need to send it the right way.”

Conversely, for Exmouth’s Ben Cornish this year’s Finn Gold Cup will be his second, having transitioned into the class at the end of 2013. He has high expectations of himself after a solid season which saw him as the ninth-placed European sailor at the Finn European Championships in May.

“I guess I have got high expectations for this event as I have had a relatively good year in the class,” Cornish explained.

“This event was always the peak for me, even from when I moved into the class just under two years ago – this was the event I wanted to try and hit quite hard.  For me the expectations are up there but at the same time I understand that I’m still one of the newer faces in the class.

“I think if I can string together a series of six days of racing and leave myself somewhere around the medal race then I’ll be pretty pleased.”

Podium Potential squad sailor James Hadden completes the British Sailing Team line-up at the event, which has returned to New Zealand shores for the first time since 1980.

Ten races are scheduled at the Finn Gold Cup from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 November, with the final medal decider on Sunday 29 November.

via Scott set for Finn world title defence | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

World Cup golden hattrick at Abu Dhabi Final

Written by RYA | 01 November 2015

Shaw, Bridge and 470 duo Mills and Clark claim World Cup Final gold

Great Britain’s sailors secured a golden treble at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (1 November).

Women’s windsurfer Bryony Shaw and kiteboard racer Olly Bridge retained their 2014 titles at the series-ending finale in the Emirati capital, while Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark also claimed victory in the 470 Women’s event in their first World Cup Final appearance, at what was just the second edition of the event.

A fourth British medal – bronze – also went to Tom Squires in the RS:X Men’s windsurfing event, with the Oxford sailors having to fight back up the standings after illness on Saturday saw him lose the overall lead.

Bryony Shaw’s gold in Abu Dhabi caps off a successful couple of weeks in the Middle East, having secured silver at the RS:X World Championships just last week.

The 32-year-old Olympic bronze medallist dominated her fleet, winning seven of the series races including Sunday’s final medal race to take gold by nine points over Italy’s Flavia Tartaglini.

She was delighted with her all-round form: “It’s been a really tough week with really close competition. I’m pleased to have won the medal race and be taking home the gold.

“I’ve been successful in the light winds and in the planing, and that’s been the highlight of the week – that we’ve had some really nice planing conditions, and some really nice racing with the other girls,” Shaw explained.

“I can take that forward into my next bit of training and tick a few boxes feeling good about my season.”

Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark also add World Cup Final gold to their recent World Championship silver medal success, beating the Austrian World Champions Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar in the process.

The 2012 silver medallists Mills and Clark sailed a steady series, posting all scores inside the top three, and rounded off their title with a third place in the medal race to claim victory by six points over the Austrian duo.

“It’s really exciting to win anything, especially here at the World Cup Final,” said Clark.

“It’s been a great regatta for us. It wasn’t a massive fleet but it’s still been good racing and a good pressure final race for us.”

Mills added: “Any time you can win an event is a really big boost, so we’re super happy and it’s been an amazing week here.

“We’ll now head back home for a month, and then we’re back to Rio in December. There’s a regatta there and we’ll do some training beforehand.”

Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter were also in action in the 470 Women’s event, finishing fifth overall.

Exmouth’s Olly Bridge won the decisive medal race to retain his open kiteboarding title and round off the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final at Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club.

“Some people were quite late on the startline whereas I was on the startline,” Bridge said of the medal race.

“I was able to get ahead on the reach and then once I was downwind I had quite a big lead and quite a lot of space.”

Sixth in the RS:X Men’s windsurfing final medal race was enough for Tom Squires to break back into the top three positions and take bronze. Leading the event for the first two days, Squires suffered illness on the third and penultimate day to see him drop outside of the medal spots but fought back to the third step of the podium today. Teammate Joe Bennett was sixth overall.

Elsewhere, Ed Wright finished fourth in the Finn fleet, the Hunter brothers Rory and Neil, and Jack Hawkins-Chris Thomas were fifth and sixth respectively in the 49er class.

Nick Thompson was sixth in the Laser event, and Alison Young concluded the Laser Radial event in eighth.

via World Cup golden hattrick at Abu Dhabi Final | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

Stakes high for strong British entry at 49er Worlds

Written by RYA | 15 November 2015

Three 49er teams in hunt for silverware

British skiff hopefuls will begin racing tomorrow (16 November) in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the 49er and 49erFX World Championships (16-21 November).

Argentina will host some 100 crews aiming to be crowned 2015 49er or 49erFX World Champion, with just nine months to go to Rio 2016 the stakes are high.

At the recent South American Championships (5-8 November) in Buenos Aires, all three British Sailing Team 49er pairs, James Peters-Fynn Sterrit, John Pink-Stuart Bithell, Dylan Fletcher-Alain Sign, finished inside the top eight. In the 49erFX Charlotte Dobson-Sophie Ainsworth ended their South American event in eighth.  A confident conclusion for British sailors at the World Championship warm-up event.

Peters-Sterritt led the British contingent and the fleet for the majority of the week, and almost dethroned the unbeaten Kiwi sailors, Peter Burling-Blair Tuke, however, a disappointing final Medal Race left them just outside the silverware in fourth.

It was a tough end to a superb opening series for the young pair, and they will take the positives forward explained Peters: “The style of sailing out here feels somewhat different to the UK and many other venues in Europe.

“The wind feels soft and easily disturbed, making clear air important on the racecourse. It is also shifty, even though the wind has been coming onshore. This combined with the fact that pressure differences on the water have been hard to spot has made for difficult conditions. We can take forward our experience of this combined with our good boat speed.

“This week a top ten finish would be great. I also think it would be great for the British team if one of us were able to get a medal,” concluded Peters.

Pink-Bithell finished sixth at the South Americans, and now want to be that team securing a medal said Pink: “We are aiming for a medal here, and know we have the necessary kit and setup to do that, we just need to put together a week we know we are capable of and get the best from our team.”

So far this season Pink-Bithell have tasted medal success twice, at the 49er European Championships in Porto (7-12 July) and the ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland (8-14 June).

The hard work never stops explained Bithell: “It has been an interesting season with the World Championships at the end of the year, we also have the 2016 World Championships in February, but we have planned our peak around that schedule.

“We made sure after the test event in the summer that we took a good bit of time off, so we are fresh for the busy winter we have ahead. But don’t feel sorry for us, Argentina in November and Florida in February are no bad place to be.”

A good performance at this event is key admitted Bithell: “The world Championships is important on our road to Rio, it’s within nine months of the Olympic Games itself, so you need to be looking at putting in consistent medal winning performances. That being said, although fairly close to Rio, the racing conditions are very different.”

World number one ranked pair, Fletcher-Sign finished seventh at the South Americans and will also be in the hunt for a 49er World Championship medal.

In the women’s 49erFX Dobson-Ainsworth are the top ranked British boat in attendance, meanwhile Kate Macgregor-Steph Orton are teaming up for the first time.   Results will be available at http://49er.org/event/2015-world-championship/?event_id=6686

via Stakes high for strong British entry at 49er Worlds | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

This race, first organised in 1978 by British sailor Bob Salmon, has long been the proving ground for both boat design ideas and for potential skippers for the big solo and double handed races, including the Vendee Globe. Despite it’s British origins, for many years the race has been French dominated, but the current edition has skippers representing 14 countries across three continents.

The 84 skippers in their tiny 6.5m long yachts left Douarnenez in south Brittany bound for the Canary Islands, some 1,250 miles to the south in mid September. Many saw winds of up to 40 knots off Cape Finisterre in northwestern Spain, proving just how tough these little boats can be. Nevertheless, a number had to pull out of the first leg, including Fidel Turienzo’s Satanas, who headed to the Portugeuse port of Sagres under jury rig after dismasting, and Romain Mouchel who returned to Lorient after breaking a finger.

The first boat to reach Lanzarote was Davy Beaudart’s Flexirub – Cherche co-Sponsor, which finished in just 6 days 19 hours, averaging 7.66 knots, or 184 miles per day to win the proto class for one-off designs. In the Series class for production boats, Ian Lipinski’s Entreprise(s) Innovante(s) took victory in 7 days 14 hours 31 minutes representing an average speed of 6.82 knots. He took the lead near Finisterre, in the early stages of the leg, and held on to it right to the finish.

“I feel really good, the leg was just incredible. We had such a perfect weather, we are going to pay for it on the second leg, it was beautiful.

I had lots of good moments. For me the best was when it got calmer and the temperature started rising: the great happiness. At the beginning, I cried, I saw the race lost when Tanguy (Tanguy le Turquais (Terreal), pushed me to keep going. Then I was with the leaders group and then leading the Series class and I was so much better”.

After a long stopover in Lanzarote, the fleet is due to restart on October 31 for the final leg, 2,770 miles measured directly, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

“When I leave Lanzarote my priority is to crack the hardest tactical point of the race, getting into the trade winds – much of the overall result of this race is going to be about getting in to these winds asap,” says Lizzy Foreman, skipper of Hudson Wight, the best-placed female skipper in the series division in the first leg and one of three Britons in the race.

“The fleet will have to decide the best route to take leaving the Canary Islands – considering wind acceleration effects and the position of any low pressures – and then pick the best route around any low pressures we experience along the way.”

You can follow leg 2 here

via Mini Transat Iles de Guadeloupe, Leg 1 | Yachting News Report | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Keith White, a disabled sailor who lost the use of his left arm following a motorway accident in 1991, has embarked on a non-stop circumnavigation.

Unlike most solo sailors his disability means he is genuinely single-handed and must both sail the boat, undertake any repairs that are necessary, as well as hanging on to the boat in inclement weather, without the benefit of the pair of arms that most of us take for granted.

White left his homeport of Cowes on October 23, before making a short stop in Dartmouth. He then crossed the official start line, between the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall and the island of Ushant off northwest France, in the early hours of October 26.

His previous sailing accomplishments include sailing single handed around Great Britain and Ireland in 2005. Two years later he made a single-handed voyage across the Atlantic, up the East Coast of America then back to the UK, crossing the Atlantic a second time.

White’s World Challenge will follow the classic Southern Ocean route via the Great Capes, including the Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn.

He expects to return to the UK in August 2016. His yacht, Marathon, is a 44ft Feeling 1350 that was originally built for the 1990/91 BOC Challenge race (subsequently renamed the Around Alone and then the Velux 5 Oceans).

After crossing the start line he has been making steady progress beating against southerly winds of around 25 knots. During his second night at sea he had to make running repairs to one of the checkstays and his Monitor wind pilot.

It looks as though his next challenge will be a low-pressure system with significantly stronger winds than he has experienced so far, before reaching a strong northwesterly air flow that will push him towards relatively more settled weather in the trade winds south of the Canary Islands. Follow his progress here

LEAVE A REPLY

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *Email *Website

Comment

RECENT POSTS

Destination: Arrecife, Lanzarote

Mini Transat Iles de Guadeloupe, Leg 1

Seasonal maintenance: fresh water systems

Single-handed and single-minded

Vantage 86 – Adventure guaranteed

Grand Soleil 58 – Stylish and Spacious

Extreme Sailing Series joins the foiling revolution

Seasonal maintenance: Topside finishes

Dramatic start for 10th Clipper Race

Impressive and Spacious Marlow Hunter 31

via Single-handed and single-minded | Yachting News Report | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Sarah Ayton wins Rolex World Sailor Award

11 Nov 2015

Sarah Ayton – the only woman competing in the tough Extreme Sailing Series – image: ISAF

ROLEX AWARDS: Carlo Croce, President of the International Sailing Federation announced the winners this evening crowning Sarah Ayton, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke as the 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year.

Sarah Ayton, the UK’s Double Olympic gold medallist and the only female competing in the Extreme Sailing Series, has been awarded the female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.

This year’s male winners of the male ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award are the talented duo from New Zealand campaigning in the 49er for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have dominated the sailing scene over the last year, winning ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas, Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta and the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, while also competing in the America’s Cup World Series with Emirates Team New Zealand.

Currently preparing for the 49er Worlds, the pair could not attend the ceremony.

These prestigious awards, sponsored by Rolex since 2001, are the highest recognition a sailor can achieve and are based on a sailor’s results over a 12 month period.

via Boating Business – Sarah Ayton wins Rolex World Sailor Award.

The careers and contributions of two Volvo Ocean Race legends have been celebrated at the ISAF Annual Conference in Sanya, China today (full story below).ALICANTE, Spain, November 13 – The careers and contributions of two Volvo Ocean Race legends have been celebrated at the ISAF Annual Conference in Sanya, China today.Sailing’s governing body has announced that it is inducting the late Sir Peter Blake (NZL) and Torben Grael (BRA) into the World Sailing Hall of Fame – the highest honour in the sport.Introduced in 2007 to mark the centenary of the organisation, the elite list recognises those individuals who have not only made a significant impact on the water, but also shown incredible dedication and passion to the sport while onshore.Characters that have, in their own way, helped to shape the sport and events enjoyed by millions around the world today.And no-one fits that description more than Sir Peter Blake. The tough Kiwi is synonymous with the Volvo Ocean Race, having participated not only in the first ever iteration of this round the world marathon, but in a further four editions as skipper, spanning two decades.Having cut his teeth in offshore sailing as Watch Captain on board Burton Cutter in 1973-74, he stepped up to co-skipper Heaths Condor in 1977-78, and went on to skipper both Ceramco New Zealand and Lion New Zealand in 1981-82 and 1985-86, respectively.But perhaps his greatest moment in sailing came in the 1989-90 race, when, as skipper of Steinlager 2, he led his crew to a clean sweep of line, handicap and overall honours in each of the six legs.Joining Sir Peter in the Hall of Fame is Brazil’s Torben Grael, a three-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran who won the overall trophy in 2008-09, as skipper of Ericsson 4.One of his country’s greatest sporting exports, Grael also secured five Olympic medals, across two classes, the Louis Vuitton Cup, and numerous World Championships during an illustrious career – leading him to be crowned ISAF World Sailor of the Year in 2009.Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad, said: “As a race, we are delighted that the achievements and dedication of two of our greatest ambassadors have been recognised in this way.“It underlines the extremely rich heritage that this Race can be proud of. Sir Peter and Torben join a very special and unique list of talents.”He continued. “Sir Peter Blake’s spirit is very much alive in this event, and his dedication to offshore sailing, discovering new corners of the plant and an unwavering passion for the environment remain key values to this day.”Frostad added: “Having twice myself sailed with Torben in this Race, on board Innovation Kvaerner as his skipper in 1997-98, and on Brasil 1 in 2005-06, I have seen first-hand what an extremely talented sailor he is.”“It’s fantastic to see his numerous achievements recognised. He’s a great guy, and it was our pleasure to host him during the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Itajaí, Brazil.”This is just the second instance since its inception that the World Sailing Hall of Fame has inducted new individuals. The next occasion will be in 2019.

via Sir Peter and Torben join ISAF Hall of Fame| Volvo Ocean Race.

Nick Bice, who runs the Boatyard for the Volvo Ocean Race, has been invited to the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METSTRADE) this month as a keynote speaker to explain the secrets of success for the event’s boat maintenance centre (full story below).

• METSTRADE to hear win-win tale of team collaboration

• Plans for Boatyard 2.0 for 2017-18 to be revealed

• Suppliers can find new platform to showcase products

ALICANTE, Spain, November 4 – Nick Bice, who runs the Boatyard for the Volvo Ocean Race, has been invited to the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METSTRADE) this month as a keynote speaker to explain the secrets of success for the event’s boat maintenance centre.

The Boatyard, managed by Bice who is a former round-the-world racer and shore manager for sailing’s leading offshore race, has established itself as a unique collaboration model in the sport.

Bice has estimated that the seven teams contesting the last race slashed their shore costs by half in relation to people, spares and smart logistics thanks to the Boatyard, which offered fully staffed maintenance cover throughout the nine months of the event plus a supply of all spare parts including rigs.

METSTRADE, which is held in Amsterdam from November 17-19, is the perfect vehicle for Bice to showcase that success in the 2014-15 race and outline the exciting prospects for even more reliability, new technology and cost effectiveness for the 13th edition in 2017-18.

Bice says that some 80 percent of the Boatyard’s suppliers, which includes among others Cariboni marine hydraulic systems, Maffioli ropes, Southern Spars and Spectra water makers, will be present at METSTRADE to showcase their wares. The vast majority of suppliers for the previous edition are expected to be signed up again for the 2017-18 race.

“It’s a chance for us to see all those suppliers and give them a big thank-you from the race and also introduce them to the next edition of the race, to Boatyard 2.0, and how it’s going to work and how they are going to be involved,” said Bice.

“METSTRADE is all about providing a platform for innovation, about facilitating partnerships for the good of the industry as a whole. We welcome the Volvo Ocean Race and the Boatyard to the Innovation stage for what promises to be an informative and potentially inspiring presentation,” said Irene Dros, Manager Maritime METSTRADE, Rai Amsterdam.

“We’re confident the industry can rise to the challenge of supplying the next generation of Volvo Ocean Race 65s.” The head of the Boatyard believes the next edition will give suppliers and partners a golden opportunity to showcase their products by becoming a part of an operation, which has developed a gold standard within the industry.

“I think the suppliers now all realise the potential that is there. We’re going to launch a tiered commercial partnership with the Boatyard – with suppliers having the opportunity to become an official supplier of the Volvo Ocean Race or Official supplier of The Boatyard,” continued Bice.

There will be lower levels of buy-in for entry into the Boatyard ‘family’ too, he added.

“We can offer signage all around the stopovers, we also want to set up a small display centre in the Boatyard on the sail loft floor, so that all the technical partners and suppliers can have their goods on display for the public to see.

“We plan to set up technical conferences between all suppliers who are considered to be top-end within the industry. There are other rights and benefits within the offers.”

Bice has conceded that not all teams initially bought in to the concept of a shared maintenance centre at the start of the last race in October 2014.

“During the last event, the teams that embraced the boatyard and utilised it to its full extent received the benefits. The teams that were skeptical about it and didn’t use it to the maximum all the way through, probably wasted money,” he said.

Now Bice reckons there are only one or two skeptics left in the industry, and there’s one, very positive, by-product for the race: “Lots of people are now asking if they can work for the Boatyard,” he said.

via Bice to showcase Boatyard success story at METSTRADE| Volvo Ocean Race.