IMOCA 60 IN NEXT VOR

An agreement between Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) and the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA) will see IMOCA 60 yachts participating in the next round-the-world event. “This is a first step of many in preparing for the next edition of the race in 2021,” says Johan Salen, co-president of the VOR. “Moving the race into foiling monohulls under the IMOCA class will motivate more sailors, teams and the wider marine industry to prepare for the next edition.

“Partnering with the existing IMOCA infrastructure means the professional offshore sailing calendar becomes more unified and efficient. This helps the sport as a whole and helps to build a sustainable business model for teams and sailors.”

The move to include IMOCA boats will ensure the race continues to be at the forefront of yacht design and technology while challenging the best sailors in the world in a fully-crewed, offshore environment.

“This is very exciting,” said Bouwe Bekking, a veteran of eight Volvo Ocean and Whitbread Round the World races. “For the younger generation of sailors, they’re all about foiling and surfing and going fast and you have to get the best sailors involved in the race. With the Open 60s, they’ve nailed it, because this is what the sailors want.”

The deal means the leading designers in offshore sailing will be engaged in the next edition of the race with the goal of producing the fastest fully-crewed offshore round the world racing monohull in history.