Possibly the world’s toughest and most extreme sailing event – is set to visit Cape Town once again as one of the twelve stopover ports during the 2017-18 event. Entering its 13th edition, the 2017-18 running of the Volvo Ocean Race is set to raise the bar once again as seven teams take to the world’s oceans in the ultimate extreme test of man and wind-powered machine.
The first leg of the Race began on 22 October 2017 in Alicante, Spain. The teams are set to visit twelve host cities in nine months, across four oceans, touching six continents, and 45 000 nautical miles.
Following previous editions of the event, the V&A Waterfront will be the host venue of the spectacular event for the eleventh time, with a raft of activities planned around the Race itself. A travelling Race Village will open its doors to visitors from Friday, 24 November 2017, allowing local and international fans of the Volvo Ocean Race to experience the thrill of extreme sailing, as well as an immersive take on the Volvo Group.
Visitors will experience the Volvo brand starting with Volvo Penta, Volvo Bus, Volvo Cars, Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Trucks, who will be inviting visitors learn and interact with thought leaders about safety and fuel consumption. “The Volvo Ocean Race is a great platform for us to showcase innovations in our trucks, the excellent aftersale services we offer and more importantly to promote road safety which is core to Volvo Groups DNA” says Torbjörn Christensson, President of Volvo Group Southern Africa.
The boats are expected to arrive in Cape Town around Monday, 27 November, allowing the teams to step onto dry land for the first time in three weeks. The In-Port Race is scheduled for Friday, 08 December 2017 and the boats will the set sail for Melbourne, Australia. On Sunday, 10 December… The Volvo Ocean Race is owned, rather than merely sponsored, by the Swedish group of companies.
The Volvo Ocean Race brings a wealthy boost to the local economy thanks to its global appeal and widespread reach in terms of suppliers, visitors and global media attention. The previous edition, which saw the spotlight land on Cape Town towards the end of 2014, saw a financial boost to the national economy of over R540 million and over 150 million eyes were focused on the city.
Some of the impressive numbers include:
- 32 500 bed nights booked for Volvo Ocean Race international visitors
- 201 061 total visitors to the Race Village over a 19-day programme
- Average daily footfall along the quayside and surrounds – 10 582
- Direct job creation
- Approximately 28 000 man hours required to build the Race Village
- Seven local boat building companies assisted the Volvo Ocean Race Boatyard
- 50 local charter boats chartered for the In-Port Race and Race Restart
- 150 boats and 3 000 spectators on the water for the In-Port Race and Race Restart
All details of the Volvo Ocean Race, including information on the teams, boats, legs, host cities, route, live streams, online trackers and news feeds, can be found at www.volvooceanrace.com.
