Volvo Ocean Race entrant, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, and its history making Azzam (determination) Volvo 70 race yacht, will return to top level competition within the UK this August with a fortnight of educating and competitive sailing, culminating with the defence of its Rolex Fastnet Race title.
Having made history because the first Arabian contender within the global, nine month 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race, the team – lead by skipper Ian Walker, a British double Olympic medallist – gets its 2014/15 race campaign in full sail on the flagship Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week sailing festival (3-10th August), with crew selection on the programme’s core.
Taking at the three Big Boat Races during Cowes Week, the team – so one can be based in Gosport at the UK South Coast – will trial key under-30 crew members in race conditions, before taking up the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race (11-13th August), which it won in record time in 2011.
“It is exciting to be getting Azzam able to sail again. You become quite attached to a yacht whilst you spend rather a lot time sailing it all over. Cowes Week has always been certainly one of my favourite regattas since i used to be a child. It will become a chunk scary sailing one of these big, fast boat within the confines of the Solent but i suspect the large Boat Races can be spectacular,” said Walker, a two-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran.
“The Fastnet is an iconic race. It was great to interrupt the monohull race record in 2011 but we are able to need some success to defend it against a couple of larger, faster boats in 2013. The Volvo 70s need windy, reaching conditions to actually come into their very own. Crew trials and coaching in a competitive race environment is the #1 goal for the summer.”
We can be taking a look at a number of new crew members for the way forward for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. 1 / 4 of the crew needs to be under 30 for a higher race, so their appointment may be key to our success.”
The Big Boat Races, with a view to likely include a race round the Isle of Wight, a 40 mile passage race, and a race across the Solent marks off England’s South Coast, will officially mark Azzam’s return to competition since completing the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway, Ireland last July.
The Rolex Fastnet Race, the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s iconic 608-mile race across the Fastnet Rock in order to see the most important entrant in its 89-year-history, would be the final summer test for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, with Azzam going up on the market shortly after.
The race begins Cowes at the Isle of Wight on the Royal Yacht Squadron. Leaving The Solent during the Needles Channel, the race follows England’s southern coastline down the English Channel, before rounding Land’s End. After crossing the Celtic Sea, the race rounds the Fastnet Rock off Ireland’s southwest coast before returning round the Scilly Islands and finishing at Plymouth. The monohull race record set by Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in 2011 is 42 hours and 39 minutes.
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Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), which owns the team and is behind the highly anticipated New Year 2015 UAE capital Volvo Ocean Race stopover, the third at the global route after Brazil, says Azzam’s return to action marks a fitting begin to its next campaign.
“Having started our first Volvo Ocean Race campaign at Cowes in 2011, it’s fitting that we have got gone full circle to begin our next title push here again. It gives us a compelling platform to talk to the sailing world and with a hugely successful Abu Dhabi stopover under our belts, in addition to a far more mature watersports offering, we’re in an ideal position to let the sailing world know what destination Abu Dhabi can offer, both as a Volvo Ocean Race host city and as a near year round watersports destination of distinction,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Director Events Bureau, TCA Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is because of announce its full 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race crew line-up within the first quarter of 2014, when it’s going to also receive its new one-design Volvo 65 race yacht. At the least one UAE national would be included within the reduced eight man crew line-up, with more Emiratis involved at the shore team.
Abu Dhabi city, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, will host the third 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race stopover from mid-December 2014 until 3rd January 2015.
Abu Dhabi will welcome the fleet from Recife, Brazil after probably the most longest and potentially most-gruelling legs inside the 40-year race history (9,707 nautical miles). The Abu Dhabi In-Port Race, which was won by home favourites Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing within the last edition, will occur on January 2nd 2015, with the fleet departing for Sanya, China the next day.
TCA Abu Dhabi, which brought the ‘Everest of Sailing’ to the Arabian Gulf for the 1st time in 2012 and is behind its return, is pushing forward a package-strong and tourism-driven Abu Dhabi stopover, including a fan-friendly Destination Village activation at the Corniche breakwater and multiple concert and entertainment offerings, with the intention to leverage the highly sought-after New Year dates.
TCA Abu Dhabi is yet again working closely with a lot of governmental bodies to successfully deliver the stopover, including Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club – the Official Host Yacht Club and key partner within the roll-out of the stopover and junior sailing initiatives; the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club – Technical Headquarters, a good way to be home to the team areas and international television broadcast compound, and the development Security Committee, Ministry of Interior, Critical Infrastructure & Coastal Protection Authority, Department of Transport, SEHA, Abu Dhabi Customs, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Abu Dhabi Airports Company.