Volvo announces the new Volvo 70 rule. |
| Tuesday, 09 September 2003 |
| The new breed will have real presence. The mast towers 100 feet above the deck and is close in height to the masts of the 80-foot inshore America’s Cup racers. Carrying the maximum, their sails would blanket a doubles tennis court nearly three times over.
The current monohull record for distance covered in 24 hours is 484 nautical miles, set by illbruck in the last edition of the race. Computers are already predicting that the new marque, will achieve top speeds in excess of 35 knots, blasting through the 500 nautical mile in a day barrier. That eclipses the feats of the clipper ships, which, up to four times as long, and with crews up to 50, thundered their way to legendary fame in the 19th century.
“If you were to compare the new boats with the VO60s, the boats raced for the last three events, the new Volvo Open 70s will be 20 or 21 days quicker around the world,” says Volvo’s racing director, Andy Hindley. The winning time of 123 racing days last time should come down to 103 days, making it a tempting target for those who want to break the 100-day barrier.
Staged every four years, the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 is due to start on November 5, 2005 from a southern European port to be announced later this year. The course will take the fleet to Cape Town, Melbourne, New Zealand, Rio de Janeiro, Baltimore, New York, Southampton and Gothenburg before finishing in the Baltic in June 2006.
It can also now be announced that Owen Clarke Design, as part of a team of international designers have been working on a Volvo design since April this year as a prelude to tank testing. Discussions are under way with a number of syndicates who have expressed an interest in beginning the construction of one of these new exciting boats in the spring of 2004. This would allow sufficient time for an intensive R and D program in the meantime, preparation for which has been the emphasis of the last five months work.
Expect additional announcements on this site over the next few months regarding progress on Volvo design work.
For further information and the rule itself check out: www.volvooceanrace.org
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