The Ocean Race : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

The Ocean Race is a crewed round-the-world stage race of great difficulty. Find the news and investigations of Tip & Shaft on the subject.

Pour Stewart Hosford, il faut que le Vendée Globe 2020 ait lieu à la date prévue

Stewart Hosford: “Offshore sailing can show itself to be a leader and a differentiator”

With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the whole planet, it has meant a great deal of uncertainty for sport in general and sailboat races are no exception. To try to get to grips with this new situation, Tip & Shaft is carrying out a series of five interviews about the future of sail racing. Our fourth guest, Stewart Hosford, CEO of Alex Thomson Racing from 2010 to 2019, is now CEO of Sir Keith Mills’ pan global sports investment group Origin Sports.

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Nathalie Quéré et Chris Nicholson gèrent encore le VO65 d'AkzoNobel

Nathalie Quéré: “Sailing can help companies rebuild themselves around positive messages”

With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the whole planet, it has meant a great deal of uncertainty for sport in general and sailboat races are no exception. To try to get to grips with the new situation, Tip & Shaft is carrying out a series of five interviews about the future of sail racing. Our third guest, Nathalie Quéré is an expert in sponsorships, she works as a consultant and managing director of W Ocean Racing, a management company involved in sailing which she co-founded with the Australian skipper, Chris Nicholson.

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Mark Turner pense que la voile doit prendre un virage sociétal

Mark Turner: “The most important question is what is the meaning to what we do”

With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the whole planet, it has meant a great deal of uncertainty for sport in general and sailboat races are no exception. What will the impact be on our sport? What changes will there be to the economic model? How do races need to change? How will sponsors behave? To try to get to grips with this new situation, Tip & Shaft is carrying out a series of five interviews about the future of sail racing. Our first interviewee, Mark Turner, cofounder with Ellen MacArthur, of Offshore Challenges, which became OC Sport, was head of the Volvo Ocean Race between 2016 and 2017, and now works as a consultant.

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Phoenix, the South African TP52 taking part to the 52 Super Series

Abby Ehler: “Diversity is a benefit, it’s not a hindrance”

Britain’s Abby Ehler has three Volvo Ocean Races round the world under her belt. Since last year she has moved from mainly offshore roles to sail on the 52 SUPER SERIES as the only full time female pro sailor in the grand prix inshore fleet, racing as mid bow on the Plattners’ Phoenix team. Late last year she completed the first Transatlantic of a modern IMOCA in fully crewed ‘Ocean Race’ mode. Tip & Shaft caught up with Abby in Cape Town…..

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After for years on the Figaro circuit, Swiss Justine Mettraux wants to sail on other supports

Justine Mettraux: “I really want to do The Ocean Race again”

After four seasons in the Figaro circuit, Justine Mettraux will only be competing in 2020 in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale, in order to hand over her Figaro 3 TeamWork to her fellow Swiss sailor, Nils Palmieri. Mettraux, now 33 years old, was discovered in France in the Mini 6.50 (2nd in the 2013 Mini-Transat). She tells us why she is moving on, talks about her projects, in particular The Ocean Race, and looks back at the start of her career on Lake Geneva.

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Yoann Richomme will lead the VO65 Racing for the Planet on ne next edition of The Ocean Race

Yoann Richomme: “The Ocean Race ticked all the boxes for me”

As a very successful solo racer, singlehanded Route du Rhum winner and twice La Solitaire champion, Yoann Richomme might represent something of a surprise choice as skipper of the Mirpuri Foundation’s VO65 Racing for the Planet for The Ocean Race. Tip & Shaft caught up with ‘Yoyo’ just before the hard work starts on a programme which is designed to be a race winner.

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Antoine Mermod prédit une année faste pour la classe Imoca

Antoine Mermod: “We are far from being concerned about The Ocean Race”

After a 2019 season which finished with the Transat Jacques Vabre victory of Charlie Dalin and Yann Eliès, the IMOCA class is setting up for an intense, exciting 2020. It starts with two Spring Transats,  (The Transat CIC and New York- Vendée) and then, of course, the  solo pinnacle Vendée Globe in November. Tip & Shaft takes stock with IMOCA president, Antoine Mermod.

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Juan Kouyoumdjian: “Its is very difficult, if not impossible, to design boats and foils that work well at all speeds”

With the design of the new Arkéa Paprec and Corum L’Epargne, Juan Yacht Design returned to the IMOCA class during 2019, coming back to a class which has not yet really yielded the big successes that Juan K enjoyed in the Volvo Ocean Race. 48-year-old Juan Kouyoumdjian remains one of the most interesting architects of this generation. His spectrum of interest spans everything from Olympic class optimisations  (Finn and previously the Star) to the America’s Cup, including record breaking monohulls and production yachts (including the latest ClubSwan 50 and ClubSwan 36). Speaking to Tip & Shaft, he majors this time on the IMOCA and the America’s Cup.

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Will Oxley a remporté la Sydney-Hobart, navigateur sur Ichi Ban

Will Oxley: “I’d like to be involved with at least one more Ocean Race”

Australian ace Will Oxley, 54, had a truly stellar 2019 as navigator contributing significantly to the unprecedented double on David and Peter Askew’s US flagged VO70 Wizard, victors on the RORC Caribbean 600 and then also the Fastnet Race which saw them crowned RORC Yacht of the Year. His season just finished on a high with his second overall Sydney Hobart win as navigator on the TP52 Ichi Ban, adding to their overall win in 2017… 

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Charlie Enright: “Our boat won’t do the Vendée Globe”

Fifth overall twice in the Volvo Ocean Race, on Alvemedica in 2014-15 and on Vestas 11th Hour Racing in 2017-18, Charlie Enright, 35 (Rhode Island, USA) opens a new chapter in his sailing career when he competes in the two handed Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre across the Atlantic to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Partnered by the hugely experienced Frenchman Pascal Bidégorry aboard the VPLP-Verdier designed former Hugo Boss on which British skipper Alex Thomson finished second on the last Vendée Globe. Tip & Shaft talked to Enright in Le Havre…..

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Guillaume Verdier: “The AC75 is a kind of strange boat, not very natural”

Guillaume Verdier’s work at the moment seems to span everything from the America’s Cup, where he continues to innovate as a key naval architect with Emirates Team New Zealand, to IMOCA where he has contributed foil design for Sam Davies and others, there are two freshly launched Vendée Globe boats for Thomas Ruyant and Charlie Dalin preparing to take on the upcoming Transat Jacques Vabre, Ultimes where he has just added some updates to Gitana 17. He is designing for two Ocean Race teams. Verdier’s passion and drive is undiminished. Tip & Shaft spoke to Guillaume just after the first flights of the ETNZ AC 75.

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