Flip side of Australia’s new Volvo 70

by Bindy Lockhart on 7 Jul 2005 Spectators at Waterfront City in Melbourne, Australia, today witnessed one of the most dramatic and deliberate nautical stunts performed in Melbourne’s waters, involving a new Volvo 70 yacht.

As part of the official Volvo Ocean Race qualification process, Australia’s only race entry, Premier Challenge, from Victoria, performed a full 180 degree inversion – or ‘flip’ of its Volvo 70 in the water.

Weighing 14,000-kg and at 21.5-metres length and 5.7-metres width, the yacht’s spectacular performance was made all the more extraordinary given four of its crew members were aboard for the entire process.

A crane positioned on land, attached to the bulb on the yacht’s keel, literally tipped the vessel upside down in an eyebrow-raising process that, once started, was complete in a matter of minutes.

Once inverted, the crane was detached and crew members were responsible for righting the yacht unassisted, demonstrating their ability to do so should it capsize during ocean racing.

Premier Challenge is to be skippered by highly respected Victorian yachtsman, Grant Wharington, who was one of the members on board during the inversion process. His father, Lewis, looked on proudly.

The inversion marked the arrival of Premier Challenge to its new home at Waterfront City, a $1-billion development undertaken by ING Real Estate. The yacht will be a regular visitor to the City until setting sail to Spain for the start of the Volvo Ocean Race later in 2005.

ING Real Estate is the official construction sponsor for Premier Challenge and Waterfront City, an ING Real Estate development, will be home to the Race Village during the Melbourne stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race.

*Amended by Sail-World.