2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race Confirmed

The timing of the official start for the 2011-12 race is scheduled for late summer/autumn 2011. Details of the exact timing and route will be made in 2010.

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It is the first time in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race that the next iteration of the race has been announced before the start of the current event.

The 2008-09 event held its prelude with the in-port race in Alicante on Saturday. The fleet of eight boats will set sail from Alicante on the first offshore leg to Cape Town on Saturday, October 11.

The decision to announce the following race at this early stage is in direct response to prospective teams for the 2011-12 race requesting adequate time to prepare projects.
The Volvo Open 70 Class, the world's fastest monohull, which made its record-breaking race debut in 2005-06, will again be the class for 2011-12. The aim is to ensure further reliability and contain costs while maintaining the Volvo Open 70's status as the most technically-advanced ocean racing yacht.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Alicante. Knut Frostad, the CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, was joined in unveiling plans for the 2011-12 event by Leif Johansson, President and CEO Volvo Group.

The race organisation will hold a 2011-12 race seminar in Alicante on October 12 with over 120 delegates attending. The gathering of potential syndicates will bring together some of the biggest names in the world of sailing from the competition and commercial side.
The Volvo Ocean Race management has also laid out the following timetable for some of the
key moments to be announced in the build-up to the 2011-12 race:
November 2008 - Start Port bid process
July 2009 - Announcing Volvo Open 70 Rule version 3
August 2009 - Publication of Preliminary Notice of Race/Race format
March 2010 - Publication of Final Route
April 2010 - Publication of Final Notice of Race
August-October 2011 - Start, Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012