The Volvo Open 70 (sometimes referred to as a Volvo Ocean 70) is the former class of racing yachts designed for the

Volvo Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Ra ...

. It was first used in the 2005–06 race (replacing the

Volvo Ocean 60 The Whitbread 60 (W60), later known as the Volvo Ocean 60 (VO60), was a class of ocean racing yacht built to a " box rule" specifying key design parameters of the 10 smaller yachts which took part the 1993–94 Whitbread Round the World Race. ...

yachts which were first used in 1993). According to the VO70 rule, the

yachts A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

can be made from glass fibres, aramid fibres, or carbon fibres (which were not allowed for VO60s). It uses a canting keel which is capable of canting transversely up to an angle of 40 degrees. The Volvo Open 70 is not a singular yacht design or boat but rather a set of design rules to which competing boats must adhere. This is similar to the concept to the design and construction rules that define a racing car. Competing teams design and build boats within the scope of this rule to try and come up with the fastest boat for the expected conditions of the race. Version 2 of the VO70 rule which ''“has been further developed to apply the lessons learned on the last event and ensure the continuing evolution of this outstanding class”'' was released in September 2006. Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012 , Docs & Rules
/ref> A revised VO70 rule, version 3, was released in 2011. The boat proved expensive and fragile, with numerous structural failures during races. On June 28, 2012, during a stopover in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during the

2011–2012 Volvo Ocean Race The 2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race was the 11th edition of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, yacht race which started with an in-port race in Alicante, Spain on 29 October 2011 with six Volvo Open 70 yachts at the start line and ended with an in- ...

, it was announced the boat would be replaced by the

Volvo Ocean 65 The Volvo Ocean 65 is a class of monohull racing yachts. It is the successor to the Volvo Open 70 yacht used in past editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. It was announced at a conference in Lorient, France, during a stopover in the 2011–12 Volvo ...

for future editions of the race .

Measurements

Records

In 2010 the VO70 ''

Delta Lloyd Delta Lloyd Group was a Dutch insurer with operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. It consisted of Delta Lloyd, OHRA, ABN AMRO Verzekeringen and a few minor banks. The company was the sixth-largest insurer in the Netherlands, with a ...

'' (former ''ABN Amro I'') established a new

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

record with skipper

Bouwe Bekking Bouwe Bekking (born 17 June 1963) is a Dutch sailor who has sailed in eight Volvo Ocean Races. Born in Deventer, Bekking first sailed the race during the 1985–86 Whitbread Round the World Race, on board '' Philips Innovator''. He then sailed ...

. In 2010 the VO70 '' Groupama 70'' (former ''Ericsson 4'') broke the record for the Round Britain and Ireland Race in 5 days 21:26:55. (This record was broken by the VO65 ''Abu Dhabi'' in the 2014 race with 4 days 13:10:28.) In July 2011 the VO70 ''Puma Mar Mostro'' won the TR 2011 on handicap, finishing second only to ''

Rambler 100 Rambler or Ramble may refer to: Places * Rambler, Wyoming * Rambler Channel (藍巴勒海峽), separates Tsing Yi Island and the mainland New Territories in Hong Kong * The Ramble and Lake, Central Park, an area within New York City's Centr ...

''. At the 2011 Fastnet Race the three first monohulls were all VO70s and they all broke the existing monohull record. The record now stands at 1d 18hrs and 39 min set by VO70 ''Abu Dhabi''. WARRIOR owned by the

US Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serve as officers in the United States Merchant ...

and Skippered by Stephen Murray, Jr. holds the monohull record for the

Vineyard Race The Vineyard Race is an annual sailboat race hosted by the Stamford Yacht Club in Stamford, Connecticut. It is held every Labor Day weekend with the first start scheduled for Friday afternoon. A trophy award party is held on the Stamford Yacht C ...

of 17 hours, 42 minutes and 9 seconds set in 2017.

Past records

A VO70 first broke the world monohull speed record in 2005, with other V70s resetting the record in subsequent years, such that the VO70s held the record for 10 consecutive years. In April 2005, the VO70 ''Movistar'' broke the 24 hour world monohull speed record when she sailed 530 nautical miles. In 2006 ''ABN Amro II'' broke that record when she sailed 562.96 nautical miles. This record was broken in October 2008 by ''

Ericsson 4 ''Ericsson 4'' (also ''Groupama 70'') is a Volvo Open 70 yacht. She won the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race skippered by Torben Grael Torben is a Danish variant of the given name Torbjörn. People named Torben include: *Torben Betts (born 1968), En ...

'' with 596.6 nmWorld Sailing Speed Record Council
/ref> ''Ericsson 4'' skipper

Torben Grael Torben is a Danish variant of the given name Torbjörn. People named Torben include: *Torben Betts (born 1968), English playwright and screenwriter * Torben Boye (born 1966), Danish former footballer * Torben Frank (born 1968), Danish former foot ...

and his crew made the record on the first leg of the

2008–2009 Volvo Ocean Race The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race was a yacht race held between 4 October 2008 and 27 June 2009—the 10th edition of the round the world Volvo Ocean Race. The eight participating boats made ten stops in nine countries around the world. The first o ...

, when a strong cold front hit the fleet, bringing winds approaching 40 knots, and propelling the yacht at an average speed of 24.8 knots. This record stood for 7 years until the supermaxi ''

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

'', a boat 30 feet longer than the VO70s, established a new record of 618.01 nautical miles on July 10–11 2015 in the Transatlantic Race.

Pictures

File:Volvo Ocean Race 2009b.jpg, ''Ericsson 3'' and ''

'' File:Volvo Ocean Race 2009d.jpg, ''Puma'' and ''Green Dragon'' File:Volvo Ocean Race 2009e.jpg, ''

'' File:Volvo Ocean Race 2009f.jpg, ''Telefónica Black''

References

External links

Volvo Ocean Race – About the Race; The BoatsVolvo Ocean Race – About the Race; Volvo Open 70 Rule
* 11 April 2012
Juan Kouyoumdjian statement on the breakages in the Volvo Ocean Race
{{VolvoOceanRace Sailing yachts * Development sailing classes Box rule sailing classes