Racing For The Planet VO65 monohull
There is a Portuguese proverb that if you want to learn to pray, go to sea.
Born in the 14th century, the Duke of Viseu—later known as Prince Henry the Navigator—helped to initiate the ‘Age of Discovery,’ when Europeans expanded their familiarity with the rest of the planet—primarily via oceans. The Portuguese developed a relatively lightweight caravel ship that used existing lateen sails to move rapidly. They studied oceanic wind patterns, produced maritime maps and—lured by curiosity and the inkling of more efficient trade routes—Bartolomeu Dias in the year 1488 became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa. He named this the Cape of Storms because gales had blasted his expedition far out to sea.
A new set of Portuguese navigators—ocean racers—pushes exploration in fresh directions. The historical quest to expand geographical knowledge has yielded to a contemporary hunger to increase awareness of how to protect geography.
A Portugal based entrant to the 2021-2022 edition of The Ocean Race (formerly the Volvo Ocean Race) kicked off its training on November 15 off the shore of Cascais. Owned by the Mirpuri Foundation and named Racing for the Planet, this is first constructed of what will eventually be a fleet of eight identical VO65 class monohull yachts.
The next edition of The Ocean Race kicks off from Alicante in Spain in the fall of 2021. It will return to Europe in the summer of 2022. Entrants will make nine stops, including Aarhus, The Hague, Cape Verde, Genoa and Itajaí.
Racing For The Planet VO65 monohull
In the previous 2017-2018 edition of the race, Mirpuri’s boat—Turn The Tide on Plastic—focused on another theme of planet stewardship: that of reducing ocean contamination. When I spoke with then skipper Dee Caffari during this race last year, she told of how their boat crew had conducted onboard science experiments by sampling water in diverse locations. She explained: “We have two races: the sporting event and also the race to save ocean health.”
For the 2021-2022 event, Mirpuri’s new boat will focus on larger overall themes of ecological stewardship and climate change. Mirpuri Foundation’s president and owner of the Racing for the Planet boat—Paulo Mirpuri—spoke before the launch.
“Since 1973 this race has involved sailing 45,000 nautical miles over eight months. All teams face icy seas and the most challenging conditions on the planet. Our new boat for The Ocean Race is named Racing for the Planet. Our campaign will be science based, and we will also publish results found about ecological problems. Global problems don’t recognize international borders. This is a race we want to win. But with the goal of passing a better world on to our children, this is a race we simply cannot afford to lose.”
The city of Cascais sits west of Lisbon on a coastal promontory that faces south. Historically, this location was strategically situated for defending Lisbon from ocean attacks. In the year 1488 King John II commissioned building the waterfront Cascais tower. This buttressed and triangular shaped fort includes an inner courtyard, and in the late 1800’s the Portuguese royal family started using it as a summer vacation retreat. Today it still includes a presidential residence.
In here before the boat launch several others spoke about the significance of the next Ocean Race.
Santa Marta Lighthouse in Cascais, Portugal
Richard Brisius—President of The Ocean Race—spoke about the focus on sustainability.
“This is a unique race that connects the world. Since 1973 it’s had basically the same race course, which is timeless. Fewer people have raced this course than have climbed Mount Everest. It’s extreme. The Ocean Race has taken a stance regarding sustainability of the planet, and for the next edition the focus is on oceans.”
Joana Balsemão—City Councilor of Cascais—praised the educational goals of the upcoming race.
“The topic that brought us here is the ocean, and this new boat that will sail includes a message for the world—that the oceans absorb 40% of carbon dioxide emissions, that they provides food for us, and for the Portuguese people—the ocean is our identity. The race is about caring, but also with responsibilities and taking actions for change.”
João Paulo Rebelo—Portuguese Secretary of State for Youth and Sport—echoed these words.
“This will be the second time we can have a Portuguese flag in one of the most extreme races on the planet. Our focus in the last race was ‘turning the tide on plastic;’ this time we’re racing for the planet. This is special for our country to have a foundation like Mirpuri involved with this boat and this important message.”
Gonçalo Esteves—President of the Cascais Naval Club—spoke about Mirpuri’s choice of Cascais as a base as being a ‘dream come true,’ and emphasized how the upcoming race has room to ‘raise the bar on sports around the world.’
The 2021-2022 Ocean Race will include two classes of boats—the VO65 (each of these boats having identical designs) and the IMOCA 60 class, having foils to push them to greater speeds. VO65 entrants will participate in a new ‘Youth Challenge Trophy’ and each such boat will require every team of 10 sailors to have a majority under 30 years of age, and at least three sailors under the age of 26. Females will be required to be on board both classes of boats.
This latest generation of sailors includes environmental devotees more than explorers—feisty and eager not for the lure of expanding trade routes but for changing the health of the planet. Gather in a room with any participants (or others intimately involved with The Ocean Race) at any location and an energy draws you in—a vitality and determination, as well as a healthy and requisite sense of awe needed to survive, and thrive, in the Southern Ocean. Although the cleanliness of oceans has altered, their fury remains unabated.
Ana Agostinho heads public relations for Mirpuri’s involvement with this event. She summarized the efforts of all future contestants in The Ocean Race.
“The strength of members is the team, and the strength of the team is its members. We know what to do. We have the why and the how. Now team members need to come together and perform.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmullen/2019/11/18/from-portugal-the-ocean-race-of-2021-2022-focuses-on-the-planet/
2019-11-18 11:46:05Z
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