Race Race: The Ocean Race (Part 1)

Exhausting, tough, devoid of a hint of comfort - this is The Ocean Race, the most coveted race for yachtsmen

A legend born in a pub

Three gentlemen with glasses of beer in their hands were sitting in a pub in Portsmouth. They, as befits gentlemen, talked about yachts and regattas. One was Sam Whitbread, owner of the family owned Whitbread brewery and yachting enthusiast. The other two - Anthony Churchill (not a relative), author and publisher of the magazine Yachting and boating weekly and Guy Pearce, racing promoter. It was in the early 1970s. Just recently Robin Knox-Johnston on a yacht "Swahili" completed a single non-stop race "Golden Globe", becoming the first person in history to walk around the world without entering a port in 312 days. Two years before him finished in his single high-speed round the world Francis Chichesterwho made one stop in Sydney.

Robin Knox-Johnston, lone finish in The Golden Globe Race 1968-1969, first person to complete a non-stop solo circumnavigation

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race became the world's first round-the-world single non-stop race. Despite the excitement, the results were mixed. Out of 9 yachtsmen, only Knox Johnston, one contestant committed suicide, and overall it was too exhausting to become a regular competition - at least at the time. The question arose about the team round-the-world regatta.

Something similar was speculated at the Royal Sailing Association of the Navy, which supported yachting initiatives among current members of the Navy and retirees. 

In 1972, the brewers and navies decided to organize and sponsor a round-the-world team regatta dubbed Whitbread round the world race... The launch was scheduled for September 1973.

The participants in the first Whitbread Round the World Race themselves admitted that they were more romantics than professionals.

On the route of high-speed clippers

The organizers decided that the race will have 4 stages: Portsmouth - Cape Town, Cape Town - Sydney, Sydney - Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro - Portsmouth. This route was chosen for a reason. He repeated the circumnavigations of the 19th century clippers, the fastest ships of their time.

The first race was romantic, as was the era in which it took place. Hundreds of people responded to the call to participate in the first team round-the-world regatta. There were teams from the most Britain, France, Italy, Poland, Mexico, West Germany and South Africa... As the participants themselves admitted, they have more enthusiasm than real experience. They craved adventure and glory - and there is hardly a better incentive in the world.

Allowed to the regatta monohull boats from 32 to 80 feet (9.8–24.4 m) various equipment.  September 8, 1973 sir Alec Rose, who had made a round-the-world solo with two stops shortly before, fired from a cannon at Portsmouth South Castle. 17 yachts with 167 crew members started from the first stage. They had to travel 27,000 nautical miles.

This first race was not at all as austere as it is The ocean race today. Refrigerators were filled with meat and fruit, yachtsmen drank wine and ate caviar, and many crews could afford a whole cooked cook. GPS didn't exist yet. The yachts not only followed the route of the clippers of the last century, but also used the same navigation methods: sextant, firmament, compass, maps. And in their free time (they still had free time!), The regatta participants could read books or play the guitar.

Yacht Guia, which took part in the first Whitbread Round the World Race, is now privately owned in the Mediterranean and occasionally takes part in vintage boat regattas.

However, she was not only an easy round-the-world "walk". The race cost three participants their lives (more than any other afterwards), three yachts lost their masts, and five could not complete it.

Despite the dominance of the British, the race was won by a Mexican skipper with an international crew. Ketch SAYULA IIunder the command Ramona Carlina, a businessman and an amateur yachtsman, showed a total time of 152 days and 9 hours. In the following years, the organizers changed the requirements for yachts and the cities where the regatta stopped. However, the boats remained versatile, which, of course, influenced the starting conditions of the teams.

Ketch SAYULA II under the command of Mexican Ramon Karlin unexpectedly won the first regatta

1977-1978 and 1981-1982 races won by the Dutchman Connie van Ritshotenhaving set a record that is still valid today. He became the only skipper to win the regatta twice. Moreover, during the second, Connie suffered a heart attack, which was hidden from the organizers and other teams. In the 1989-1990 regatta for the first time a boat took part because of the "iron curtain": a Soviet - and essentially Georgian-Ukrainian - yacht "Fazisi". And in 1993-1994. two boats from independent Ukraine participated - "Getman Sagaidachny" under the command Evgeniya Platon and "Odessa-200" under the command Anatoly Verba... Both skippers were in the team at one time "Fazisi" (the fate of "Fazisi" and the participation of the already independent Ukraine in the regatta of 1993-1994. the second part of this article will be devoted. - Auth.).

Connie van Rietzhoten, Flying Dutchman, regatta legend. The only skipper to win it twice

Spectacular sports for big business

Every year the regatta became more and more professional, attracting the attention of big business. Something had to be done with the format: in some years the largest boats were almost twice the size of the smallest ones. Maxi yacht equipment was becoming unreasonably expensive for sponsors. The question of unification of boats became more and more urgent.

So in the regatta 1993-94 a new class of yachts has appeared: Whitbread 60 (after the race changed ownership, renamed to Volvo Ocean 60). The characteristics of the boat were as follows: length 19.50 m (64 feet), width 5.25 m (17 feet), draft 3.75 m (12 feet), displacement 13.5 tons. The debut was successful. And only yachts of this class could participate in the 1997-98 regatta.

Whitbread 60 (later renamed Volvo Ocean 60) is the first unified boat class for this regatta

However, the era Whitbread at Round the World Race was coming to an end. Sponsor who came in 1997, Volvo, had far-reaching plans. And in 2001 the regatta changed its name to the one we are used to today:  Volvo Ocean Race... The interest of the Swedish company in the race was quite understandable, because the division Volvo Penta is a global manufacturer of marine and industrial engines.

The old adage says that the new broom sweeps in a new way. The change of ownership brought several notable changes. First, the sponsor immediately made a “curtsey” to his homeland and European countries, where significant sales markets are located. This is how Sweden was added to the race for the first time (yachts made a stop in Gothenburg, where Volvo's headquarters are located), Germany and France. In addition, for the first time in its history, she finished not in Great Britain, but in German Kiel. Also, to replace the class Whitbread 60 there was already a new one - Volvo Open 70.

Whitbread 60 (later renamed Volvo Ocean 60) is the first unified boat class for this regatta

However, the era Whitbread at Round the World Race was coming to an end. Sponsor who came in 1997, Volvo, had far-reaching plans. And in 2001 the regatta changed its name to the one we are used to today:  Volvo Ocean Race... The interest of the Swedish company in the race was quite understandable, because the division Volvo Penta is a global manufacturer of marine and industrial engines.

The old adage says that the new broom sweeps in a new way. The change of ownership brought several notable changes. First, the sponsor immediately made a “curtsey” to his homeland and European countries, where significant sales markets are located. This is how Sweden was added to the race for the first time (yachts made a stop in Gothenburg, where Volvo's headquarters are located), Germany and France. In addition, for the first time in its history, she finished not in Great Britain, but in German Kiel. Also, to replace the class Whitbread 60 there was already a new one - Volvo Open 70.

Team Puma, runner-up at the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race

The sponsors' request for entertainment is not surprising. A yacht in such a regatta is a kind of "visiting card" of the company, and this business card should be seen by as many people as possible. The development of telecommunications, the Internet and satellite transmission has increased the media impact at times. Regatta 2008-2009, even before the massive spread of smartphones and social networks, reached an audience of two billion people by television alone! Such a promo-effect allows to “beat off” multimillion-dollar investments in the race - for the purchase and equipment of a yacht, salaries for the team, repairs and support in the process. So, the budget of the winner 2008-2009, the team of the company Ericsson amounted to 50 million euros. Runner-up Puma spent about $ 20 million.

Spectacular harbor races draw extra attention to the Volvo Ocean Race

In 2014, the class of yachts changed again, to Volvo Ocean 65created by the company Farr Yacht Design... He was the answer to a project that is gradually becoming obsolete. Volvo Open 70, the high cost of which, moreover, was an obstacle for many companies wishing to enter the race. Introducing a new class Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race, promised that the cost of the yacht with a set of sails will be in the range of 4.5 million euros, which will reduce the total participation budget for sponsors to about 15 million.

The regatta also reflected modern trends towards gender equality. Today, the organizers are trying to attract women to the race, and therefore in 2017-2018. teams could number from 7 to 11 people according to the following principle: 7 men; 7 women and 1 (2) men; 7 men and 1 (2) women; 5 men and 5 women; 11 women.

Volvo Ocean 65 class replaces aging and expensive Volvo Open 70 class

Extreme, 13th

13 in a row regatta 2017-2018, which started in Alicante and finished in The Hague, became not only the longest along the route, covering 45,000 nautical miles. It was also the last to be held under the brand Volvo. And a regatta of two deaths.

During the race, the yacht Vestas 11th Hour collided with a fishing vessel 30 miles from Hong Kong, sailing without lights or signals. One fisherman was killed. In the Southern Ocean, under extremely bad weather conditions, a team member was washed overboard Scallywag, Briton John Fisherthat could not be found.

Briton John Fisher was washed overboard in the Southern Ocean during a storm, despite the use of safety equipment

In 2021-2022 the race will be called The ocean race... The company became the owner of the regatta Atlant Sports Group... One of the main announced changes was the admission to the regatta of yachts of two classes: Volvo Ocean 65 and IMOCA 60 (International Monohull Open Class Association project)... This will allow sponsoring companies to purchase boats that, in addition to, in fact, The ocean racewill also be able to participate in other prestigious sailing competitions.

Movie To The Ends of The Earth - The First 40 Years | Volvo Ocean Race

Epilogue

The teams fight for every gram of weight to increase the speed of their boats. Therefore, there is no fresh food on board (only dry and frozen), no showers, and yachtsmen have only a couple of changes of clothing for the transition. They experience temperature drops from -5 to +40. The toilet is separated by a curtain. There is no privacy - all life activities take place in front of each other. The salt water and the ends eat away at the skin on the hands, despite the gloves. Sleep in clothes soaked in sweat and water rarely lasts more than two hours in a row - the watch system on board no longer allows.

This is a living hell that every yachtsman dreams of going through.

Zero comfort, lack of privacy and constant wear and tear - this is what Race Race looks like, the most prestigious sailing competition in the world

Race Race: The Ocean Race

Race Race: The Ocean Race

Race Race: The Ocean Race

The second part of the article will be devoted to Ukraine and Ukrainians in this regatta. The author expresses his gratitude to Evgeny Platon, a participant in the race in 1989-1990 and 1993-1994. for help in preparing the material.

Dmitry BUSHUEV

12.04.2019