Why is Brazil \u00a0in love with the Volvo Ocean Race?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been on the Volvo Ocean Race\u2019s map since the beginning.\u00a0The country has hosted eight stopovers since the first edition in 1973-74.<\/p>\n
1973-74 – Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n
1977-78 – Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n
1997-98 – S\u00e3o Sebasti\u00e3o<\/p>\n
2001-02 – Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n
2005-06 – Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n
2008-09 – Rio de Janeiro<\/p>\n
2011-12 – Itaja\u00ed<\/p>\n
2014-15 – Itaja\u00ed<\/p>\n
Brazilian sailors have always been part of it, too.\u00a0Nine of them have entered the race.<\/p>\n
John Anderson<\/p>\n
1977-78, Flyer<\/p>\n
Lucas Brun<\/p>\n
2005-06, ABN AMRO TWO<\/p>\n
Horacio Carabelli \u2013 the Brazilian sailed the race twice before moving to the shore side<\/p>\n
2005-06, Brasil 1<\/p>\n
2008-09, Ericsson 4<\/p>\n
Marceloo Ferreira<\/p>\n
2005-06, Brasil 1<\/p>\n
Andre Fonseca\u00a0\u2013 Bochecha is our one and only Brazilian sailor this time around. He\u2019s part of the Spanish team MAPFRE<\/p>\n
2005-06, Brasil 1<\/p>\n
2008-09, Delta Lloyd<\/p>\n
2014-15, MAPFRE<\/p>\n
Torben Grael \u2013 one of the most famous Brazilian sailors and a race winner six years ago<\/p>\n
1997-98, Innovation Kvaerner<\/p>\n
2005-06, Brasil 1<\/p>\n
2008-09, Ericsson 4<\/p>\n
Henrique Pellicano<\/p>\n
2005-06 Brasil 1<\/p>\n
Fernando Peres<\/p>\n
1981-82, La Barca Laboratorio<\/p>\n
Joao Signorini \u2013 a three-time race veteran now coach for Team SCA<\/p>\n
2005-06, Brasil 1<\/p>\n
2008-09, Ericsson 4<\/p>\n
2011-12, Telef\u00f3nica<\/p>\n
They had their own Volvo Ocean Race team.\u00a0Skippered by Torben Grael, Brasil 1 finished third of the 2005-06 edition. Race CEO Knut Frostad was onboard at the time. The only Brazilian team to ever compete in the race, Brasil 1 will celebrate its 10th\u00a0anniversary in Itaja\u00ed.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve got their own sailing legend.\u00a0Torben Grael won five Olympics medals, six World Championships, the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000 AND the Volvo Ocean Race in 2008-09 with Ericsson 4.<\/p>\n
His brother Lars Grael is an Olympic medalist too, and he kept sailing at a high level despite losing a leg in a boating accident.<\/p>\n
With Kahena Kunze, his daughter Martine Grael is one of the Olympic favourites in the 49er FX class for Rio 2016. Later on, Martine would love to join the race with an all-female team.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve got TWO sailing legends.\u00a0Robert Scheidt is world famous for his Olympic success. He\u2019s got five Olympic medals and was crowned 13 times as a World Champion in the Star and Laser classes.<\/p>\n
Brazil is big in Olympic sailing.\u00a0Over the years, Olympic sailors have won 17 medals for Brazil \u2013 only judo got more with 19 medals! And the next Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, though the class they\u2019re most successful in, the Star, is now out.<\/p>\n
Made in Brazil.\u00a0The C30 is the only boat 100% made in Brazil. The \u2018C\u2019 stands for the Volvo sailor Carabelli. Bochecha, currently on MAPFRE, is also an advisor for this class.<\/p>\n
Offshore races are more popular than you think.\u00a0The sailing weeks of Ilhabela, Santa Catarina and B\u00fazios are among the most famous. Itaja\u00ed is getting there, too. The Recife \u2013 Noronha and Buenos Aires – Rio are classics.<\/p>\n
And that shows in the footfall in Itaja\u00ed.\u00a0282,000 visitors came to the race village in 2012 \u2013 over a quarter of a million. 28,372 people cheered for the In-Port Race, and 25,000 waved the sailors good-bye on the day of Leg 6 start.<\/p>\n
Joao Signorini (see sailors above), the only Brazilian in the 2011-12 race, was given a memory he\u2019ll never forget as thousands cheered him home onboard Telef\u00f3nica.<\/p>\n
Bochecha is coming home.\u00a0MAPFRE\u2019s Andr\u00e9 Fonseca is from Florianopolis, a city just 100 km south of Itaja\u00ed. A talented helmsman, he\u2019s expected to arrive on Sunday, April 5 with the rest of the front pack.<\/p>\n
via Itaja\u00ed at fever pitch| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why is Brazil \u00a0in love with the Volvo Ocean Race? It\u2019s been on the Volvo Ocean Race\u2019s map since the beginning.\u00a0The country has hosted eight stopovers since the first edition in 1973-74. 1973-74 – Rio de Janeiro 1977-78 – Rio … Continue reading