Shunned by the American public, the stopover in Miami (Florida) of the Volvo Ocean Race has not been by international actors of offshore racing, together gathered for a sort of G20. Just before the start of the seventh stage to Lisbon, a summit meeting has helped to refine the contours of the next round the world race, which will start in autumn 2014. Volvo Cars and Volvo Group have confirmed their support, but - according to our informations - required two minimum requirements : at least eight boats at the start (they are only six this year), and a real cost reduction. One can easily imagine that the reliability aspects (hull, rigging ...) was also discussed and weighed in the balance.
Exit the VO 70 !
After 60 ORMA trimarans replaced by MOD70, and pending the decision of the IMOCA (26 June), which is working on the possibility of a one design (maybe Farr ?) to succeed the current 60 feet, the next Volvo Ocean Race will be run with... one design.
According to our sources, and according to the specification which provides a drastic reduction of costs, it will be a shorter boat - from 60 to 65 feet (against 70 today), probably around 62 feet -, heavier and stronger, less shipping and teammates.
It seems clear that there has not been much consultation with architects in vogue for this future "Volvo One Design" : it is the legendary Farr Yacht Design who will sign the new boat, combined with four considered shipyards : Multiplast in France for bridges, Decision in Switzerland for various strutural elements, Persico in Italy and Green Marine in England for assembly. Masts, rudders and daggerboards are under discussion.
Juan Kouyoumdjian not included
It is interesting that the two boats being designed by Bruce Farr in the Volvo Ocean Race 2012-2013 - Abu Dhabi and Sanya - occupy the last two places overall for the moment.
It is also interesting to note that Abu Dhabi was built by Italian shipyard Persico in Bergamo, who has long worked with the New Zealand designer based in Annapolis, United States.
And it is interesting to note that the French-Argentinean Juan Kouyoumdjian, who designed Telefonica,Groupama 4 and Puma - respectively first, second and fourth of the Volvo right now !- was not approached. This may seem surprising. The rumors of a firm's exclusive contract between Artemis and Juan Yacht Design for the next America's Cup (the AC72 will be launched soon) and that could havie influence the Volvo organizers, are swept by Juan K him-self. «This has absolutely nothing to do, told us Juan Kouyoumdjian, rather surprised by this decision, but as usual affable and without any aggression. I have not been consulted by the organizers of the race.» And adds : «To contribute to the effort of declining budgets, I suggested to Knut Frostad to offer my plans for future VO 70 to build, thus limiting the costs only to the improvement and development of the boats as agreed, including a structural point of view. But it seems that my mail has remained on his desk.»
Some skippers unhappy
Although the one-design is attractive, and should not alter the intensity of this global race, the race has certainly put together this "design package" with Farr Yacht Design and the four sites mentioned above. However, a key player in the Volvo Ocean Race, which requested anonymity, said loud and clear : "I have difficulty understanding the process of Frostad and his staff in this matter. Everyone agrees that Farr is a great architect, but now its boats are exceeded. So, in addition to a boat shorter and heavier is not really going in the right direction !"
He also said that several skippers currently engaged in the Volvo Ocean Race would be unhappy with the choice of architect and the monotype, which no longer permit the development of vessels, appendages, rigs... all these innovations that are also salt of ocean racing and one of its most exciting, whether in IMOCA 60, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Transat 6.50.
North sails reduced from 32 to 22 ?
These skippers do not like the sricte one design on the sails, which is confirmed by Bruno Dubois, vice-president of North Sails Europe, invited to the symposium in Miami, and we interviewed on his return from Florida : "We are finalizing a proposal for future sails monotypes. Five of the six boats in the Volvo Ocean Race are veiled North, and we do not sail or monotypes, this will not change our purpose, that of reliability and performance. Much in the last Volvo, as in the Vendee Globe, we had experienced trouble (delamination due to faulty fabric, ed), as this year, after 41,000 miles and four equators already crossed, sails in 3 DI eEtra Kevlar gave every satisfaction." And Dubois added : "In any event, a race with only six boats is not profitable for a sailmaker, but good in terms of image."
We do not see how North could be absent of this competition, whatever the solution chosen ! We also know that, again in order to slow inflation of budgets, and the cost of the sails held this year, the organizers aim to see the total number of sails going from 32 (15 before and 17 during the race) to a total number between 22 and 25 in 2014.
Prices of construction within 50%
By the way, what will the construction's price for a Volvo One Design ? The figures for the current prototypes are respectively a little over 5 millions euros for Telefonica, around 6 millions for Groupama and... 9 millions forAbu Dhabi, designed by Farr.
There are rumors that the organizers of the Volvo predict, with the Farr OD, a construction budget divided by two - but if you take the huge cost of Abu Dhabi as a refence, that would mean around 4,5 millions euros ! Juan Kouyoumdjian, who confirms these figures, found that the difference with the boats he has designed this year is finally slight compared to the total budget of a team (around 750,000 euros for Telefonica, the "cheaper" ) in boats that are necessarily more regressive.
In fact, the organizers of the next race would like to offer to Volvo a "package" containing two stop-overs less, a one design boat (or two for larger teams) and teams less numerous. A famous Volvo sailor (four races), who also prefers to remain anonymous, says that it is "a very big risk" : "Insofar as the leitmotiv of Volvo is to have at least eight teams in 2014, with these new measures, the VOR could antagonize teams like Telefonica and Groupama, which a priori were ready to go for the next edition". Elements of response on June the 28th, during the stopover in Lorient.
One thing is certain : one design in major offshore races is more relevant than ever, and lobbies are working at full between organizers, architects, builders and classes, whether for the future of the Volvo Ocean Race or Vendee Globe. Bruce Farr, one of the most successful architects of the world, is not about to give up in front of Verdier-VPLP or Kouyoumdjian !
Juan K, who is also ready to start building the future of IMOCA 60 for the Spanish Iker Martinez for the next Barcelona World Race (he already has his sponsor, Mapfre), is suspended from the decision of the IMOCA ... and could see his boat die if the idea of launching a pre-study on the creation of a one-design 60-foot IMOCA prevailed in June.
Needless to say finally that Bruce Farr is of course also in the race to draw the possible future IMOCA one design, if the class members vote in this way in a few weeks. Answers on the 26th of June for the Vendee Globe, and on the 28th for the Volvo.
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