Fun Facts
About the Race
- Boat lengths are 70.5ft. Placed upright, a boat would be slightly taller than the height of the Sistine Chapel.
- Living space is two meters per person. The same as living in a phone booth.
- Speeds of 30 knots can be exceed. Like cruising at over 55 km/h in a Volvo XC90.
- The largest sail on a Volvo Open 70 boat is 500 m². As big as two tennis courts in area.
About Racing Yachts
Innovation has always been the signature of the Volvo Ocean Race and this year is no different; a new design of race boat was introduced for the 2008 - 2009 event. With development in mind, a forum of skippers, boat designers, sail and rig manufacturers, syndicate heads and representatives from the Volvo Ocean Race collaborated to produce a state-of-the-art 70’ monohull race boat, the Volvo Open 70.
About the Conditions
- Extreme temperatures vary between -12o and +50o Celsius
- Wind speeds of zero to 70 knots comparable to a category 1 hurricane
- Up to 35 days at sea between stopovers (with only one change of clothes)
- Surfing 40’ waves, approximately the height of a 4 story building, in complete darkness.
