Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09 - the Route

Mike Sanderson

Mike Sanderson, the man who took overall honours as skipper of ABN AMRO ONE in 2005-06, believes the new route for the next edition of the race will provide stern challenges – not least for the variety of designers involved this time. Kiwi Sanderson supports the race organisers’ decision to further ‘globalise’ the event by taking it to uncharted waters. Taking the 39,000-nautical mile race to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and India while retaining the traditional traits will place unique demands on design teams, he says.

Breaking new ground
There was much debate when the indicative route was announced at the finish of the 2005-06 race with opinion divided over the non-traditional look to the course. But Sanderson favours the revised route and the decision to break new ground. Furthermore, the reduction of time the fleet of second generation Volvo Open 70s will spend in the southern ocean, he says, will not detract from the overall spectacle. “It is smart to cut down the amount of time these boats spend in the southern ocean,” he says. “These boats don’t need 50 knots of wind to be exciting – they only need 25 or 30 knots, and you can find that in any of the oceans. All the legs going into uncharted Volvo waters will be fascinating, and there will be a very good chance the race will be won there. By the time they come out of the Asian region someone will be defending a lead.”

Published: 18 Jan 2008

Source: www.volvooceanrace.org