Paris (AFP)
The Ocean Race (ex-Volvo Ocean Race), a crewed and stopover round the world sailing race scheduled to take place in the fall of 2021, has been postponed to October 2022, the organizers announced on Thursday.
The famous and long 9 month race on all the seas of the planet must leave Alicante (Spain) in October 2022 for an arrival in Genoa (Italy) in the summer of 2023 after this report motivated by the epidemic of Covid- 19.
"The winning teams have shown that real preparation is the key to success. We are now in an unprecedented period, and our first priority is to show solidarity with those who have been and continue to be affected. by the pandemic, "said Richard Brisius, race chairman.
This decision was welcomed by the skippers of the Imoca class, that of the flagship boats of the Vendée Globe, the legendary solo and non-stop round-the-world race which will start on November 8, and which can now take part in The Ocean Race.
"These changes are positive, since it means that The Ocean Race becomes a real possibility as a new challenge between now and the next Vendée Globe. It is an entirely different kind of event, more international, with a crew, but extremely interesting for me as a sailor ", rejoiced the German Boris Herrmann (Team Malizia), entered the Vendée Globe 2020/2021 and eyeing The Ocean Race, two quadrennial events.
The organizers of The Ocean Race - created in 1973 under the name of 'Whitbread Round the World Race' before becoming in 2002 'Volvo Ocean Race' then 'The Ocean Race' in 2018 - also announced on Thursday that a race would be held in Europe in the summer of 2021.
The last edition, contested in 2017/2018, was won by the Dongfeng team (China), led by the French skipper Charles Caudrelier, after 126 days of racing.
© 2020 AFP