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  Autumn's changes in the air - Sailing news North America and beyond
 | | Onboard MAPFRE - Rounding Cape Horn - Volvo Ocean Race 2015 Francisco Vignale/Mapfre/Volvo Ocean Race |
All across North America, the change is obvious: Summer has once again lapsed into autumn, which-depending on one's latitude-is rapidly yielding to the first chilly days of the off-season. Sure, Florida- and SoCal-based sailors can enjoy a few more solid weeks/months of sailing, but for our friends up in Montreal, Quebec, Chicago, Milwaukee and Boston (to call out just a few places), the season is either over or rapidly winding-down. Here in Seattle is a different story, as we get our breeze along with our winter rain (ahem), but the hard-boiled reality for most sailors is that winter-storage plans and winter-charter escapes are starting to out-rank priorities such as weekly bottom cleanings and crew practices.
This same season of change is sweeping other areas of sailing as well. For example, the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) has been announcing a series of changes that are aimed at ramping up audience interest while also adding significant spice to the 2017-2018 edition of this time-honored event, and the last week saw some more big evolutions.
 | | March 30, 2013. Team Alvimedica leads the Volvo Ocean 65 fleet around Cape Horn. Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race © |
In an effort to encourage crews to make bolder offshore decisions, especially on the long and storm-tossed offshore legs, the VOR has announced a high-point system where the two Southern Ocean legs (Cape Town to Hong Kong and Auckland to Itajai), as well as the North Atlantic leg (Newport to Cardiff), will all be scored as double points. Additionally, the first boat around Cape Horn will be awarded an extra point, as will all leg winners, and the team that delivers the quickest elapsed time around the planet will also earn an extra point.
While the race's announcement that all teams will be using hydro-generator units to fuel their onboard electronics sans having to burn as much fuel was seen as a smart move towards environmental sustainability, the VOR's announcement that the Onboard Reporters (OBRs) will be operating as a separate corps, rather than part of a dedicated team, was seen as a unique way to develop the race's storytelling abilities. Under the new rule, OBRs will be able to work across the entire fleet, rather than staying with a specific boat all the way around the world.
 | | Mark Turner © Ainhoa Sanchez / Volvo Ocean Race |
“It's another part of our commitment to share just a little bit more of the raw and direct story of the teams, and faster than ever before–whilst of course being sensitive to the personal stories onboard,” said Mark Turner, the newly named CEO of the VOR. “Just like in any professional sport today, this balance is important.”
As with all changes, the evolution of the OBR position will make some things easier, while making others harder. For example, since OBRs will essentially be functioning as embedded reporters (think wartime correspondents), rather than teammates, they will be freed up to tell certain stories a bit more objectively, however, this will come at the trade off of long-term relationships with the other sailors, as well as the storytelling windows that these kinds of relationships afford.
 | | Dongfeng Race Team – Volvo Ocean Race © Yann Riou / Dongfeng Race Team /Volvo Ocean Race |
“Of course, this news doesn't mean that we will rotate all Onboard Reporters, every single leg–if there's a particularly interesting story or relationship on a particular boat then of course it would make sense to let it play out for multiple legs–but this added flexibility gives us the opportunity to shake things up if we feel it's necessary,” said Leon Sefton, who serves as the VOR's head of TV.
It will certainly be interesting to see how these changes affect the VOR armchair experience, but there's more change worth noting in the sailing world, especially if your interests lie more with Olympic sailing than around-the-world distance racing.
 | | Nacra 17 - conducting fully foiling tests ahead of reporting back to the class association © Laurens Morel |
The mixed-sex Nacra 17 class, which enjoyed its Olympic debut at this summer's Rio Games, recently assembled its members for an electronic “Extraordinary General Meeting”, where it was decided (among other decisions) that the class would evolve into a fully foiling platform. While there is still some work to be done before this vote marks an official change to Olympic equipment for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, odds are good that this fast cat will be foiling come the starting guns for the 2020 Games.
It remains to be seen if Olympic audiences will be treated to the foiling tacks and gybes that have becomes commonplace on the America's Cup World Series circuit, but there's no question that this change could help bring this Olympic class more in line with America's Cup and Grand Prix speeds and thrills.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor
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