Volvo 70's for Kochi India - but How?

by Lisa Mylchreest on 18 Oct 2006 The Newindpress.com yesterday announced that Cochin (now called Kochi) in India is short listed as a possible stopover point for the Volvo Ocean Race in 2008. All cruising sailboats who have passed through that lovely port will be wondering just how the Port of Kochi will cope with the Volvo 70’s, which have a draft of 4.5 metres. All yachts with anything close to a 2-metre draft have reported that they have to DREDGE their way into the anchorage.

Luckily the bottom is a kind of stew, and this does not harm the keels. It has been frequently noted by sailor visitors that the Port of Kochi fails to offer any remuneration for the free dredging service.

If the bid is successful, however, the event could be a mega-buck earner according to Newindpress.

'A stop-over in India would provide the country and the port chosen with the opportunity to showcase itself to a global audience through the media and directly to the people visiting the port either as spectators or as part of the race organisers and participants,' Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Kerala State Council chairman Navas Meeran said.

The Volvo Ocean Race team headed by Andy Hindley, racing director, and Angus Buchanan, commercial director, visited Kochi and met Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Tourism Principal Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan, Tourism Director B Suman and Cochin Port Trust Chairman N Ramachandran. The Department of Tourism and the Cochin Port Trust had agreed to host the event.

'This will be a prominent event in Kochi. The Department of Tourism has promised all help for the event. After discussions with the minister, they have agreed to touch Kochi too. The department will give all help for hotel bookings that will come as part of the event.

The attempt is to place Kochi on the world tourism map. After the event in Kochi, they will move to Australia,' said E K Bharat Bhushan.

Well, maybe there’ll be a dredging operation before the event takes place. Cochin or Kochi is a delightful city of India, and many more cruising yachts may be encouraged to visit if the port were a little more accessible.