Meet the man behind the next generation One Design<\/p>\n
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Guillaume Verdier is working on plans for the next generation Volvo Ocean Race One Design \u2013 and the final decision on monohull vs. multihull is now just weeks away…<\/p>\n
Verdier and his team of designers will be working alongside a Volvo Ocean Race Advisory Board, featuring race veterans and team directors.<\/p>\n
Hi Guillaume! Tell us a little bit about the team you\u2019re putting together to lead the design of the next generation Volvo Ocean Race boat…<\/p>\n
The group will be made up of my usual French team, plus some Kiwis. There\u2019s around 16 of us in total, and we\u2019re very used to working together. The thing that\u2019s pretty unique about the way we work is that we\u2019re rarely on site together. We\u2019re also quite interchangeable in the way we work \u2013 we\u2019re a group of specialists, but all of us are more or less capable of doing the full thing.<\/p>\n
How important is it to get the input of Volvo Ocean Race sailors in the design process?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s super important, and we\u2019re introducing some Volvo Ocean Race veterans into the design team really early on for that reason. You get a unique perspective from the sailors, as they explain to you all of their tricks, how they survive on board, and how they look to exploit the boat to the max. That\u2019s important \u2013 after all, if you design a single-handed boat, for example, the way that it\u2019s sailed is completely different to a fully-crewed boat. You have to make a judgement of the machine you design based on the capacity of the sailor to exploit it.<\/p>\n
How do you balance the battle between speed and safety? And how much do you take a sailor\u2019s daily life on board\u00a0into the design process?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important, for sure, and it will probably affect the width of the boat a little bit. We\u2019ll make changes for ergonomic reasons to ensure that the sailors are \u2013 well, not comfortable \u2013 but at least surviving on board. For instance, the cockpit might be a little bit more protected than in previous generations. That little bit more shelter allows the sailors to maximise the potential of the boat.<\/p>\n
We will make extra effort to keep the crews safe, as Volvo Ocean Race sailors have a reputation for pushing really, really hard. They\u2019re relentless. In single-handed sailing, there\u2019s a tendency for the sailors to be a bit more careful about their boats, but in a Volvo Ocean Race team, I think they push it harder than ever, which makes it more prone to breakages. We may have to consider downgrading the performance factor slightly in order to retain a certain level of security, which is a key aspect to bear in mind especially when you\u2019re racing in the Southern Ocean.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve got to check safety a bit more due to that. I\u2019ll try to turn that into benefit, probably by making the boat stiffer, and I\u2019ll try to transform the safety aspects into some interesting features. It\u2019s about trying to see a \u2018problem\u2019 from another point of view.<\/p>\n
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