New Zealand to host new round the world yacht race
15 Oct 2007
New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, will host a new round the world yacht race, beginning in 2009.
The SolOceans yacht race is the first solo round the world yacht race to use identical yachts and will be held every two years. Competitors will sail in 16 metre, single hull yachts.
The first leg of the race will start from the Bassie-Normandy region on the west coast of France in October 2009. The course takes competitors via the Cape of Good Hope to Wellington. The second leg starts from Wellington in January 2010 and takes competitors back to France via Cape Horn.
Prime Minister Helen Clark believes it is fitting that New Zealand’s capital city will host this new race. ''New Zealand is a leading sailing nation with a proud history of achievement in other round the world yacht races, and the America’s Cup,'' says Clark.
''Hosting this race is a great opportunity for Wellington to build on its reputation as one of New Zealand’s premier venues for major events.
''This race also has a strong environmental ethos. The competitors will be helping to monitor the effects of global warming in remote parts of the course where there is currently little scientific data. This information will feed back into the development of a system for forecasting ocean currents and climate change,'' says Clark.
Wellington has already hosted other major yacht races, such as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Global Challenge Yacht Race. The city is planning a number of events on its waterfront to coincide with the race including a waterfront festival, concerts, and a civic ceremony.
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