Volvo Ocean Race - Deck of Boat 8 leaves builder

by Sail-World on 11 Jan 2017 The deck for the only new entry in the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race has completed construction at Multiplast - Groupe Carboman in Vannes, France.

In this video the deck is rolled out of the building facility and is loaded onto a truck, ahead of a 1,200km trip to Persico Marine in Bergamo, Italy.

Two teams have announced their entry to the 2017/18 race. The teams have the option of taking either a refitted boat from the 2014/15 race, or building a new one.



Team AkzoNobel led by Simeon Tienpont (NED) was first to announce, followed by Dongfeng Race Team - with a French and Chinese crew.

Team AkzoNobel is now in Lisbon having arrived in Portugal before Christmas. The team had a four-and-a-half day training sail back to the Volvo Ocean Race Boatyard, after which skipper Simeon Tienpont sent this message by social media:

“Hi all. We’ve arrived safely in Lisbon with crew and boat. There were great, challenging practice conditions with waves you rarely see in the Atlantic, a real surfing paradise and every sailor's dream. We all realized on board how lucky we are in our job. But also a good test for boat and crew and huge respect for the sea and safety. You realize how vulnerable you are in this situation, and how important it is to have a strong mix of experience on board and always be ready to adapt to what is coming.

“We’ve had a very wet boat, rough seas and great boat speed. Good to be on land and to look back on the last days of making miles and surfing to port.”