China is back in the Volvo Ocean Race as Dongfeng announce return in 2017-18 with Charles Caudrelier as skipper

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Yann Riou / Dongfeng Race Team / Volvo Ocean Race

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Dongfeng announced the partnership alongside Charles Caudrelier, Team Director Bruno Dubois and Volvo Ocean Race Managing Director Antonio Bolaños, at a news conference in Wuhan (full story below)

WUHAN, China – China’s Dongfeng Race Team will build on the all-round success of their Volvo Ocean Race debut and return in 2017-18 for a second successive campaign under French skipper Charles Caudrelier, the team announced on Monday.

The team will be 100% backed by Dongfeng Motor Corporation, the Chinese motor manufacturer headquartered in the Hubei province city of Wuhan, and the target will be to improve on an already strong performance in 2014-15, when they exceeded expectations by finishing third overall.

Dongfeng announced the partnership alongside Charles Caudrelier, Team Director Bruno Dubois and Volvo Ocean Race Managing Director Antonio Bolaños, at a news conference in Wuhan.

Yang Qing, the vice president of the Dongfeng Motor Corporation, said the company was proud to be back in the Volvo Ocean Race: “The Volvo Ocean Race is the premier offshore sailing race in the world and has attracted China’s attention. More and more media and public now know of the race through the challenge by Dongfeng Race Team, with the support of Dongfeng, in the 2014-15 edition. There is no doubt that Dongfeng Race Team made history and multiple Chinese sailors are part of that story.

“Not only did Dongfeng Race Team succeed in marketing the Chinese motor brand to a growing global customer base, but the team also promoted Chinese culture through the Volvo Ocean Race. Dongfeng Motor Corporation is dedicated to support the Chinese team again with the leadership of skipper Charles Caudrelier and to once more challenge the offshore sailing fraternity and establish an effective communication channel about the sport of sailing between China and the world,” he concluded.

Caudrelier’s team are the second confirmed entry in the race, which will start on October 22 next year and take the teams 45,000 nautical miles around the world in one of the toughest routes in the race’s 43-year history. Team AkzoNobel, skippered by Simeon Tienpont, were the first team to announce.

Dongfeng Race Team will once again represent China, racing under the Chinese flag and will continue to have the interests of Chinese sailing at heart. 

Charles Caudrelier and a team that featured four Chinese sailors over the course of the race, defied expectations to secure third place overall in 2014-15.

Success on the water, plus an open and innovative approach to storytelling, provided a major boost to the Dongfeng brand, particularly outside China, while giving the team the highest measured media value from the race.

This time the sponsorship has been elevated from Dongfeng Trucks (DFCV) to the Dongfeng Motor Corporation, a sign of the commercial success of the campaign last time. Dongfeng Motor Corporation is the Chinese motor industry leader. In the 2016 ‘FortuneChina’ top 500 leaderboard, Dongfeng Motor Corporation was ranked 81st with revenue of US $82.817 billion, and ranked 16th amongst Chinese businesses.

Heading into 2017-18, the goal will be to win, said Caudrelier, who tasted victory himself with Groupama in 2011-12.

via China is back in the Volvo Ocean Race as Dongfeng announce return in 2017-18 with Charles Caudrelier as skipper| Volvo Ocean Race.

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Harken sponsors Oracle Team USA

18 Oct 2016

Harken will provide hardware for Oracle Team USA in their America’s Cup challenge

Harken is to sponsor Oracle Team USA, providing hardware for its America’s Cup yachts.

Harken has been involved in the America’s Cup for 30 years with technology moving on from the 12-metre monohulls to today’s wing-sailed catamarans.

“Working in the America’s Cup pushes us to the limit,” explained Peter Harken, Chairman of Harken.

“We started in 1987 with winches and titanium blocks but now with these boats, we’ve had to learn to work in a whole different medium with the hydraulic systems.

“Everything has to be super strong and zero weight. These guys beat the heck out of the equipment. It has to withstand that. We gain a lot of knowledge from that.”

“As one of the grinders on board, I can say the pedestals, the pumps and the winches are key to how we sail every day,” added Graeme Spence, Oracle Team USA crewmember responsible for working on the winches and systems on board. “There are lots of adaptations and demands on the technology and Harken is always up to the challenge.”

via Boating Business | Harken sponsors Oracle Team USA.

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Vendée Globe sailors set off

07 Nov 2016

Vendée Globe sailors set off on their round the world voyage

Twenty-nine solo sailors have set off from Les Sables d’Olonne in France as they take part in the eighth edition of the Vendée Globe.

The solo round the world race takes place every four years and this year there are 20 skippers from France plus for the first time entrants from New Zealand, Holland, Ireland and Japan together with Britain’s Alex Thompson.

Around 300,000 spectators lined the harbour entrance channel to see the fleet off, together with more than 1,000 boats on the water.

Out of the 29 sailors, just one previous winner lined up, Vincent Riou who won the race in 2004-2005 and is racing with traditional daggerboards rather than having had foils fitted. Seven of the latest generation of the IMOCA 60 yachts are using foils and foiling technology.

Sébastien Josse is said to have one of the most technically advanced programmes and believes the race will need ‘careful, precise modulation with the foiling boats’.

“First we need to sail properly with these boats. We see that with these foiling boats they win the last three races across the Atlantic but we have to finish. We have to manage the boat and not to push too hard.”

And he pointed out that foil technology for the IMOCAs is in its infancy: “For the rig and keels the development is done, we are all one design. The pilots are done, we go straight. But the foils, we are just at the start.

“We have developed these foils in less than one year. And so if you look at how long we had to develop wing masts or canting keels, then we are just beginning. We have to keep this revolution going.”

This year there is a 50% increase in the number of boats taking part in the race compared to the last edition in 2012 with the youngest competitor, Alan Roura, just 23 and the oldest, American Rich Wilson, aged 66. 

via Boating Business | Vendée Globe sailors set off.

Email Print Vendee Globe set to begin04 Nov 2016The eight Vendee Globe starts on Sunday 6 November Photo: Jean-Louis CarliThe Vendee Globe starts this Sunday, 6 November, with 29 skippers ready to set sail from Les Sables d’Olonne for the eighth edition of the race.There has been a huge increase in visitor numbers for the Official Village with 300,000 in the first week followed by 380,000 visitors already during the second week.Yves Auvinet, president of the Vendée Globe, said: “We had prepared ourselves for crowds at the Official Village, but I must admit that the figures for the first two weeks surprised us, particularly with crowds strolling up and down the pontoons and in the aisles in the Village.”“The Indian Summer in Vendée since the opening, the high standard of the line-up for this eighth edition and the quality of the events and exhibitions in the Village have clearly attracted a lot of visitors. Once again, the magic of the Vendée Globe is working, as it has done with each edition.”This year there is just one previous winner lining up to take part, Vincent Riou who won the race in 2004-2005. Alongside this, Bertrand de Broc, Jean-Pierre Dick, Jean Le Cam, Vincent Riou and Alex Thomson are lining up for the fourth time.There are 14 rookies lining up for their first Vendée Globe: Didac Costa, Thomas Ruyant, Alan Roura, Morgan Lagravière, Sébastien Destremau, Conrad Colman, Kojiro Shiraishi, Pieter Heerema, Romain Attanasio, Eric Bellion, Fabrice Amedeo, Enda O’Coineen, Paul Meilhat, Stéphane Le Diraison.With Swiss-born Mr Roura the youngest sailor at the age of 23. Japan, the Netherlands, New Zeleand and Ireland are all nationalities being represented by a sailor for the first time.Didac Costa will be the first to cast off then every four minutes a competitor will leave the pontoon, with Vincent Riou being the final sailor leaving at 09:42 local time.On the main website there will be live commentary by Dee Caffari and Alec Wilkinson as well as live video coverage of the boats leaving the Vendée Globe pontoon.The first rankings will be posted at 12:12 UTC with the positions at 12:06, the positions will then be updated every six minutes until later in the afternoon.  From 17:00 UTC, the tracker will be in normal race mode with the 16:30 rankings. Rankings each day are at 04h 08 11h 14 17 21h UTC.“Conditions should enable us to get a good time for this first portion of the race with everyone going down quickly to the Equator. We could see a day less to get there than it took four years ago. We’re not about to be shaken up like in 2012. This weather should favour the foilers. That much is clear,” concluded sailor Vincent Riou.

via Boating Business | Vendee Globe set to begin.