Volvo Ocean Races

The First Race of 1973 / 1974:

There was a feeling of apprehension and nervous exhilaration as 17 race yachts, carrying 167 crew from seven different nations, hoisted their spinnakers on the way out from Portsmouth into the English Channel on the first leg of a brand new sporting contest, the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. The race was conceived and organised by the Royal Naval Sailing Association with sponsorship from the London-based brewery company and was the first ever attempt at a global, crewed yacht race.

The yachts, ranging from the 1936-built Peter Von Danzig of Germany, to the UK's Burton Cutter, which was still being finished during the race, were no different from many of the 3,000 spectator boats that set out to witness the historic start. Crews were mostly adventure-driven novices, with limited experience of offshore sailing and absolutely no idea what lay ahead over the coming 27,500 nms. The winner of the first Race: Sayula II with skipper Ramon Carlin, Mexico

The Second Race 1977/1978:

August 1977: Four years on and already, the Whitbread Trophy had become one of the most coveted titles in offshore racing. This time, 15 yachts representing 12 nations with 168 crew jostled for the best position on the Portsmouth start line, with 1973 winner Ramon Carlin, the Mexican washing machine millionaire, firing the gun to send them on their way. Their exit from the Solent was accompanied once more by thousands of spectator boats, including cross-Solent ferries, British warships and a vast fleet of yachts and dinghies. The winner: Flyer with skipper Cornelis van Rietschoten, Netherlands Runner up / second: King's Legend with Nick Ratcliff, U.K.

The Third Race in 1981/1982:

Dynamic Dutchman Cornelius van Rietschoten, who made such an impression on the 1977 Race, returned to defend his title, sparing little expense in the pursuit of victory by building a brand new maxi yacht with the stated aim of crossing every finish line ahead of everyone else AND winning the race on handicap. Experiences gathered from competitors, officials and sponsors in the previous two races was analysed and used to shape the changes for the third event. The upshot was a massive hike in the number of entries - almost double to 29 - reflecting both the growing integrity of the event and its increasing prestige, a fact not lost on the 15 nations who fielded their finest candidates. The winner: Flyer II with Cornelis van Rietschoten

The Fourth Race 1985/1986

More technology, more sophistication, more professionalism, more sponsors, bigger budgets and higher safety standards. The winner: L'Esprit d'Equipe with skipper Lionel Pean, France

The Fifth Race 1989/1990

The scrapping of the handicap system and introduction of a prize structure based on classes led to a loss of interest among the small boat sector, but a proliferation of maxis. In all there were 17 big boats on the start line, six of them brand new. The rest were a hotch potch of old and new, including 1985 winner, renamed Esprit de Liberte skippered by Eric Tabarly's brother Patrick, plus a novelty entry that was to put the Whitbread Race on prime time television and on the front page of newspapers all around the world. The winner: Steinlager 2 with skipper Peter Blake, New Zealand

The Sixth Race 1993/1994

D As if the event needed an extra edge after the thrills and spills of four years earlier, a new class, the Whitbread 60, was introduced. The new boat was conceived to keep down costs. They were less expensive to build, maintain and campaign than the maxis. They were also light, strong and fast. The winner: New Zealand Endeavour with Grant Dalton, New Zealand

The Seventh Race 1997/1998

There were a number of changes to the event, this included a change of name. The Whitbread Race became the Whitbread Race for the Volvo trophy after the Swedish automotive giant provided additional support. The number of stopover ports increased from seven to nine to increase both public awareness of the event and the media coverage, which like most events was key to its success. There was another dramatic development which enabled round the clock tracking by race followers. Positions, news items, emails from the boats and stacks of background information were all posted on a website, guaranteeing a massive new audience who could live the race as it happened for the first time. The winner: EF Language with skipper Paul Cayard, Sweden

The Eigth Race 2001/2002

During the period between races, Volvo negotiated with Whitbread to take over the ownership and management of the whole event. With new management, a new identity, the advantage of cutting edge technology and a new race team, the event moved to a higher plane. The winner: Illbruck Challenge with skipper John Kostecki, Germany

Peter von Seestemuhle Race 1973

Pen Duick III in Rotterdam, Race 1973

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King's Legend at the start of the Whitbreadrace

Steinlager and King's Legend. Race 1989 and Race 1977

Steinlager Race 1989

Assa Abloy Race 2001