The 2014-2015 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) is set to kick off October 4 in Alicante, Spain. And when it does, American sailors will have multiple reasons to keep track, in addition to the fast-paced, non-stop, spray-in-your-face sailing.
For one, a record number of Americans are competing this year. Six American sailors are competing on two different teams — Team SCA has two women and Team Alvimedica has four gents. Team SCA is the all-women team led by Sam Davies, and Team Alvimedica is led by Charlie Enright and Mark Towill. The race’s only American stopover is Newport, RI, with the boats’ arrival scheduled between May 5 and 9, 2015, and May is a great time to visit Newport.
The 2014-15 boats will be the Volvo Open 65, a one-design meant to lower the overall cost for entry and level the playing field at the start line, with all teams sailing with the same technology and construction. And the company credited with the design of the Open 65? Annapolis’ own Farr Yacht Design, founded by Bruce Farr and Russell Bowler in 1981 and now led by Patrick Shaughnessy. The designers of some of the most famous racing yachts of all time, Farr Yacht Design supplied designs for boats in nine of the 11 previous Whitbred and Volvo Ocean Races, including four winning boats.
“For us, the bulk of our work on the Volvo finished long before the boats hit the water,” said Shaughnessy late last year. But when they did, during the Round Britain and Ireland Race in August, the boats showed incredible speeds on the water, including some record-breaking performances for the race.
August 14, 2014. Round Britain Island Race Day 4 onboard Team Alvimedica. Photo by Amory Ross
When the 2014-15 edition starts October 4, sailors will head out on a 39,000-nautical mile adventure around the globe. For the boats, a part of that journey started in the heart of the Eastport neighborhood of Annapolis, at the corner of Eastern Ave. and Third St.
Vernon Penner contributed to this article