VOR, Marion Bermuda Race, ACnews—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 27 Jun 2015 While all offshore racing in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) has now concluded, the final dust will not settle on this storied event until after this weekend’s final in-port race has been sailed, thus settling Team Alvimedica’s and Mapfre’s battle for fourth place, while also possibly impacting other standings as well, given the tight points delta between second-placed Team Brunel (29 points) and fourth-placed Mapfre (34). For the seven teams competing in Saturday’s in-port racing, this not only represents a final chance to improve their overall standings, but it also represents the culmination of years’ worth of preparation, planning, hard work, sacrifice and great sailing.

“I still think that the [One Design] boats have the performance we need, and I still think it's a good model,” said VOR CEO Knut Frostad, in an interview with Sail-World’s Rob Kothe, inside this issue. “And one day the Volvo Ocean Race will also change its class, because we have no intention of keeping it forever. But we clearly will keep it to the next race.”

As for the next edition of the VOR, Frostad is obviously enthusiastic about the wide-scale changes that they made to the 2014/2015 race’s format-changes that they aim to keep, moving forward. ‘For 2017 we are expecting the existing boats to take part, all of them,” continued Frostad. “But who are the owners of the boats, and who the sponsors will be is not decided yet. We are in dialogue with almost all the sponsors of the existing race about continuing. But it's the sponsor’s decision obviously if they do that.”

Inside, don’t miss Kothe’s full interview with Frostad, as well as a wrap-up report from the offshore legs, and be sure to stay tuned to the website this weekend as the final in-port race unfurls.

Also offshore related, the final finishers in the Marion to Bermuda Race arrived in Bermuda, allowing the RC to determine the final outcomes. Impressively, TI, an Alden Mistral 36 skippered by Greg Marston that was racing in the Celestial Navigation division, has been confirmed as first overall, first in her division, first in class and first in Celestial. TI was sailed by Greg Marston, Andrew Howe, Chase Marston, Peter Stoops, John Omeara and Jake Marston, all of whom are related and all of whom have Maine roots. TI’s corrected time was 86 hours, 35 minutes 56 seconds.

Get the full Marion to Bermuda Race debriefing, inside this issue.

And continuing the offshore theme, the Clipper Round the World Race has announced that it will be visiting Seattle, Washington during the 2016 event for the first time in the race’s 19-year history. According to reports, inside, the fleet should arrive in the Emerald City for a ten-day stopover in mid-April, after having logged 5,600 miles of sailing from Qingdao, China. From Seattle, the fleet will continue on to New York City, via the Panama Canal.

“I’m really looking forward to bringing the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to Seattle for the first time,” said Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the Clipper race’s founder and the first sailor to sail singlehanded nonstop around the world. “As well as being an exciting host port for our crew members and partners, it is also an excellent international platform for Seattle to promote itself and its strengths to our global race community.”

And in America’s Cup news, longtime French offshore-sailing sponsor Groupama has announced that they will be backing cash-strapped Team France in their bid to win the 35th America’s Cup. Longtime Groupama-sponsored skipper Franck Cammas, Michel Desjoyeaux and Olivier de Kersauson-three of France’s most experienced and decorated high-performance sailors-are leading Team France, and while the squad hasn’t yet started their on-the-water training for AC35, their collective experience makes them a serious threat nonetheless.

“It’s a great day for our team,” said Cammas. “Together with Michel and Olivier, we’ve been working for the past two years to bring this project to a successful conclusion. Groupama Team France is now in full working order to attack the Cup and its competitors, who rank among the best in the world. What drives us is winning the toughest competition, going from one stage to the next and the striving for excellence.”

Get the full report from Team France, inside this issue.

Also inside, get the latest news from 2015 Kieler Woche, the World Match Racing Tour, Block Island Race Week, the 2015 Transatlantic Race and the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Clinic and Regatta, as well as the preview reports from the upcoming Melges 24 Worlds (June 30-July 5).

And finally, for anyone who loves fast boats, be sure to check out the reports on sailing aboard-and against-the maxi trimaran Lending Club 2, which is currently in San Francisco Bay ahead of her July 18 Transpac start, including Eric Simonson’s great image gallery (and report) of foiling kiteboarder Joey Pasquali taking on the massive tri. Enjoy!

May the four winds blow you safely home,