the design for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015, 2017-2018

As presented today by Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad at the Lorient stopover, the current trend of Volvo Open 70 box rule boats has given incentive to drive costs upward in the teams' bids to win the trophy, resulting in a decreasing number of boats taking part in the race. To achieve sustainability for the future of the race, a greater number of teams must take part, therefore the race organisers have taken steps to control costs, resulting in the requirement for a one-design/one-builder. Bruce Farr & Associates have designed yachts for every Whitbread Round the World Race and Volvo Ocean Race since 1981, have won four of them, but have lost all the Volvo Open 70 box rule editions to yacht designer Juan Kouyoumdjian. Despite the latter's commitment to the Artemis Racing team design for their 72ft America's Cup wingsailed catamarans, it is surprising that he was not even called to tender a proposal for the new Volvo design, which has been awarded instead to Farr Yacht Design. The design remains a canting keel monohull, slightly smaller in length but with a distinctive wave-piercing bow, reverse sheer, a higher aspect rig, deeper appendages, and a larger coachroof with two companionways. Details below:

	VOLVO OPEN 70 box rule 2005-2012	Farr 65 one-design VOLVO 2014-2018
naval architecture	multiple designers: Farr Yacht Design, Juan Kouyoumdjian, Marcelino Botin, John Reichel/Jim Pugh, Rob Humphreys	one designer: Farr Yacht Design
shipyards	multiple builders: Killian Bushe, McConaghy Boats, Goetz Custom Boats, Green Marine, King Marine, Southern Ocean Marine, New England Boatworks, Cookson Boatworks, Multiplast, Persico, ML Boatworks, Hart Marine, Boatspeed	one builder: a consortium of Persico, Multiplast and Decision building parts for assembly by Green Marine
Length Over All		21.95m (72ft)
Length of Hull	21.50m (70ft)	20.40m (67ft)
Length On Deck		19.80m (65ft)
beam	5.70m (18.7ft)	5.60m (18.4ft)
draught	4.50m (14.8ft)	4.70m (15.4ft)
keel	40° canting	40° canting
weight	14,000kg—14,500kg	10,750kg
bowsprit length	1.82m (6ft)	2.15m (7ft)
mast length	31.50m (103.3ft)	30.30m (99.40ft)
rig arrangement	keel-stepped mast, checkstays and running backstays	deck-stepped mast, two backstays
freeboard amidships	1.60m (5.2ft)	1.72m (5.6ft)
mainsail area	175m² (1,884sqft)	151m² (1625sqft)
working headsail area	200m² (2,153sqft)	135m² (1453sqft) permanently hoisted jib
upwind sail area		451m² (4855sqft), mainsail + masthead Code 0
downwind sail area		550m² (5920sqft), mainsail + A3
number of sails	10 (including stormsail)	7 (including stormsail)
liquid ballast tanks	1×1,600L after the aft bulkhead	1×1,000L forward of the mast 2×800L aft under the cockpit and adjacent to the transom
crew	10 + 1 media crew member	male: 8 + 1 media crew member female: 10 + 1 media crew member
shore support	team-specific	shared and pooled
communications	Inmarsat Fleet Broadband FB500 (432kbps)	Inmarsat Global Express (50mbps, projected)

all above graphics courtesy of © Farr Yacht Design

body plan, sheer plan, half-breadth plan and deck layout courtesy of © François Chevalier