Spain’s VO70 “MoviStar” breaks the World Sailing Speed Record

The Volvo Ocean Race

The Volvo Ocean Race will begin in Vigo on November 12, 2005, heading for Cape Town, South Africa. The teams will set their feet on the ground at ten different locations: Galicia (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Melbourne (Australia), Wellington (New Zealand), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Baltimore/Annapolis (USA), New York (USA), Portsmouth (UK), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and finally Gothenburg (Sweden), after completing 31,250 nautical miles – 57,875 kilometres – of racing.

A total of seven inshore regattas will be held, one in each of the ports of destination. The first inshore race will be held on November 5, 2005 in Sanxenxo (Galicia).

Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Sweden, Brazil and the USA are the strongest countries in this year’s race.

The racing boats will be single-hull VO70, with a length of 21.5 meters (70.5 feet) and 31.5 meter (103.3 foot) masts.

The mainsail of a VO70 has 172 sq m; the spinnaker can reach up to 500 sq m, and in bearing courses can deploy a potential of up to 700 sq m of sail surface.

The 2001/02 Volvo Ocean Race was won by the “Illbruck Challenge” German team, with John Kostecki as a skipper, followed by the Swedish “Assa Abloy” boat, skipper Neal McDonald, and the Italian-Finnish “Amer Sports”, with Grant Dalton as skipper. The boats covered a total distance of 58,523 kilometres (31,600 nautical miles).

NOTE: the record was set on April 6, 2005