Volvo Ocean Race 2005

James Boyd looks at what could be done to improve the world's premier round the world grand prix

No one would doubt that the Volvo Ocean Race is the most competitive round the world race ever. Despite some degree of flexibility offered by the Volvo Ocean 60 design rule, the boats are well matched in their performance and for the first time this race has no 'slow' boats.

This even matching is placing ever more emphasis on the quality of crew work and the boats are now so close that just one small error in tactics or boat handling, or any downtime caused by breakage, can have the direst of consequences on a boat's results. In short it is a great race...

But is the Volvo Ocean Race in danger of becoming too elitist? What would happen if the present format continued for the next event in 2005-6? These are issues that the Volvo Ocean Race management have been looking into in great depth. They are currently conducting a major survey which will direct the future of their event and, if the rumours are correct, the next race will look significantly different.

Perhaps one of the key differences between this race and the last - aside from Volvo's new ownership - is that campaign budgets have increased dramatically. Today the larger campaigns have budgets in excess of $20 million - twice what they were eight years ago. And it is certain that if the race maintains its present format it will not become any cheaper .

This time round there are eight boats competing from seven syndicates. Many feel this is about the minimum number for the event to be considered a serious race. Although out on the water, the racing is about as good as it gets, in port eight 60 footers does not provide a great spectacle compared to other ocean racing events. If the cost of taking part continues to escalate this will further limit those who can afford to take part and the race cannot afford to have any fewer entries.

That said, SEB skipper Krantz is one of the few who believes the entry list is not far off the mark. "Twelve boats is the maximum number you would want for a race like this. There's just not enough space in the media for any more, and the safety issues would become too complex. Twelve high quality entries would be okay, but any more would be too much."

But it is hard to see how the race would be a sustainable route in the future in its present format. Today's budgets are on the verge of exceeding the amounts sponsors are prepared to foot for an event such as the Volvo Ocean Race. While djuice, Assa Abloy and SEB are conventional sponsorships achieved because of the relative sophistication of the yachting sponsorship market in Scandinavia, would News Corp have come in without the influential endorsement of Lachlan Murdoch, illbruck without Michael Illbruck, Tyco without Denis Koslowski or Nautor without Leonardo Ferragamo?

If budgets go up again then the Volvo Ocean Race is likely to become an offshore version of the America's Cup, where campaigns cannot deliver enough return to make commercial sponsorship viable and boats are backed solely, or at least partially, by wealthy individuals. This seems to work in the America's Cup where campaign budgets are currently running on average twice the amount seen in the Volvo - so perhaps this formula would also work for the round the world race?

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