The Race reviewed

Innovation Explorer finishes and Mark Chisnell takes a step back

The main problem from the spectator's point of view (and most of us will remain so in such an event) was that The Race wasn't much of a race at all. There was a lot to admire about Grant Dalton's ruthlessly efficient circumnavigation - but it was a little like watching Pete Sampras play tennis, almost too good to be entertaining.
The recent Vendee Globe saw second placed Ellen MacArthur chase home the winner with less than half the time deficit of Innovation Explorer to Club Med - after racing for 50% longer. The principle issue that Peyron seems to face is how to make a second running of The Race more competitive, to maintain the interest through the two months of sailing these boats require to get around the world.

But things will probably head in the right direction anyway, just as the Vendee Globe and Volvo Ocean Race (nee Whitbread) have grown in competitive stature with each running - as the dreamers and adventurers are slowly outnumbered by the racers - so The Race is likely to attract a much more quality in-depth line-up next time around.

The big question is whether the basic concept is valid - non-stop, no-rules? Skip Novak wrote just before his finish on Innovation Explorer that he thought the next race should include stop-overs to make it more competitive. The Volvo Ocean Race acknowledges that a stop forces the fleet back together, and if combined with a points rather than an elapsed time system, is more likely to produce a tight finish at the end of the lap.

Unfortunately, there is already a perfectly good race round the planet with crews, defined legs and stop-overs - the self-same Volvo Ocean Race. The gap in the market is for a non-stop, fully-crewed circumnavigation in seriously quick boats. But I think there is mileage in extending the rather lose definition of non-stop that this running of The Race operated - the idea of being allowed a halt in exchange for a time penalty in the sin-bin.

What might make the whole thing more interesting from a spectator viewpoint would be to reduce or even do away altogether with the time in the sin bin. Allow each boat two or three stops at places of their choosing, with little or no more penalty than the time it takes to get in and out of the port.

The speculation surrounding the will-he-won't-he Innovation Explorer stop-over in Wellington kept The Race alive at a point where my interest at least was fading. And without the 48 hour penalty those new sails could have been loaded and we would have had a much tighter second half. The pit-stops might also take on a Formula One element - with calculations needing to be made about whether to stop and refuel or repair, or just to blast on all the way round.

As to the no-rules concept, this race turned out - to all intents and purposes - to be pretty much a one design affair. And while it wasn't that close, a little more caution on the part of Cam Lewis, and a little more sail budget and preparation time for Innovation Explorer, and it would've been a lot closer. Stick in another couple of boats at this level and it could be awesome.

Keep with the no-rules concept and the Team Philips type boats will still get built (though personally I'd rather see concept boats tested at 30 foot). But there is always a chance that one of two very negative things will happen. A development boat comes unstuck in the Southern Ocean, or someone throws a ludicrous amount of money at it and effectively writes a cheque for the prize.

Historically, round-the-world races haven't just got more competitive, the boat rules have got tighter as well. I'd be surprised if this one is any different.