Volvo Ocean Race newsletter

The official update on preparations for November's round the world race

As we begin a new year and a start a new phase in the planning of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, the regular monthly news update now resumes. We will keep you up to date, in an informal way through this news bulletin, with all the activities taking place in the race office, at the ports and within the syndicates as the serious countdown to the start begins. The news update is circulated to the Volvo Ocean Race friends and family as well as the media.

Entries update

Six boats are nearing completion and are due to be launched in the coming months. Negotiations are ongoing with several other teams and we will bring you news of these as soon as we can.


Launches and christening

We always know when we are in 'race year' as our diaries start to fill up with launches and christenings. The first boat in the water was ABN AMRO's boat one. Read the full story and look at the pictures at www.volvooceanrace.org . Telefonica MoviStar, now out of the mould and due to go in the water in mid February. Brasil 1 has announced their full team including Adrienne Cahalan as the navigator and the only woman in the team.


The race track

The full course, including leg distances, start and finish ports, stopover dates, restart and in-port racing dates will be announced in mid February.


Broadcast

Negotiations are moving well ahead with the partner broadcast territories and at this point we have outline agreements with TVE and TV Galicia in Spain, NOS in Holland, TV3 in New Zealand, Super Sport in South Africa, and TV Globo in Brazil. The detail of these partnerships is currently being finalised and over the next two months we expect to enhance this coverage with deals in Sweden with SVT, Australia with Fox Sport and Channel 10 as well as starting the final phase of discussions in America.

The Television Corporation has been working throughout the rest of the world and report that negotiations have been positive in a number of key territories including Asia. In April MIP-TV, the main television market in Cannes will take place and this will provide us with the opportunity to enhance the partner broadcaster distribution agreements.

Harold Anderson, our executive editor, will be in the UK in February, working with our news and programme production partners to employ the key personnel, who will deliver the television output for the next race. We are currently working in a number of other areas which include the building of our studios at RHQ, programme development and graphic content as well as the technical issues both on the boats, at the race HQ and in the ports, which need to be put in place to deliver the programme assets for production.


Syndicate information

ABN AMRO BOAT 1 (NED)
Skipper: Mike Sanderson (NZ)
Designer: Juan Kouyoumdjian
Builder: Killian Bushe, Schaape Shipcare, Lelystad, Holland Launch Date: 17 January 2005

ABN AMRO BOAT 2
(Youth Team)
Skipper: TBA
Designer: Juan Kouyoumdjian
Builder: Killian Bushe, Schaap Shipcare, Lelystad, Holland Launch Date: TBA

ATLANT OCEAN RACING (SWE)
Skipper: TBA
Designer: Farr Yacht Design
Builder: Green Marine, Lymington, UK
Launch Date: TBA

BRASIL 1 (BRAl)
Skipper: Torben Grael (BRA)
Designer: Farr Yacht Design
Builder: ML Boatworks, Indaiatuba,
Launch Date: June 2005

PREMIER CHALLENGE (AUS)
Skipper: TBA
Designer: Don Jones
Builder: Hart Marine, Mornington, Australia
Launch Date: May 2005

TELEFONICA MOVISTAR (SPAIN)
Skipper: Bouwe Bekking (NED)
Designer: Farr Yacht Design
Builder: Boatspeed, Sydney, Australia
Launch Date: TBA