Volvo Ocean Race - Future Fibres furling cables on board 8-boat fleet

by Jim Lotz on 30 Nov 2016 Volvo Ocean Race has chosen the latest generation of Future Fibres high performance furling cables for the fleet of eight one-design yachts in the thirteenth edition of the gruelling race around the world starting in October 2017.

Each of the eight identical boats will use Future Fibres TorqueLite 2.0 furling cables in their seven-headsail inventory, ranging from a 29.7 m2 storm jib up to a 420 m2 A3 gennaker and a towering masthead code zero sail.

Volvo Ocean Race crews drive their boats to the limit 24-hours a day, no matter how severe the weather. Accordingly, the equipment Volvo Ocean Race selects needs to perform at 100 per cent without fail even in the most demanding conditions.

Future Fibres TorqueLite 2.0 sets a new standard for furling cables. It has twice the torsional stiffness, half the bend stiffness and a 20 per cent reduction in weight, meaning faster furls during manoeuvres and easier handling and storage on and off the boat.

After careful assessment by the expert technical team at Volvo Ocean Race, Future Fibres received an order for 56 TorqueLite 2.0 cables for the fleet of VO65s currently being refitted at the race’s Boatyard Facility in Lisbon, Portugal.

“The Volvo Ocean Race team was really impressed with the TorqueLite 2.0 furling cables,” said Nick Bice, Volvo Ocean Race Director of Boats and Maintenance. “Having seen them in action, we were really excited to order 56 cables for the teams competing in the next edition of the race; they surpass anything we’ve seen before.”

“Our sailors push their gear extremely hard in the toughest conditions, so they need the best equipment available. We can’t wait to fit the TorqueLite 2.0 cables to our fleet of VO65s.”

The order marks a continuation of Future Fibres’ involvement in the Volvo Ocean Race and dovetails neatly into the selection of parent company Southern Spars a mast supplier for the fleet of VO65 racing yachts. Matching a Future Fibres cable to Southern Spar mast is a simple and straightforward plug and play operation.

“We are delighted to be involved in another Volvo Ocean Race,” said Future Fibres CEO, Sam Watson. “This order is a testimony to the design expertise and innovation that has gone into creating the TorqueLite 2.0. It’s tough enough to stand up to the rigours of an around the world race and perfect for superyachts and other cruising or racing boats everywhere.”

The highly successful TorqueLite product along with the high-performance TorqueLite 2.0 extends the Future Fibres furling cable range to match any customer requirement.