The Barcelona World Race aims to be one of the two most beautiful events on the IMOCA World Championship calendar, alongside the Vendée Globe. To achieve this, the organisation - the Barcelona Oceanic Navigation Foundation (FNOB) - has decided to give a new lease of life to this double-handed race around the world.
"We have two flagship races: the Vendée Globe, single-handed, and the Barcelona World Race, double-handed; in other words, one round the world race every two years. It's a formula that has worked very well, as it is appreciated by the sailors and their sponsors; a formula that the new format of the Barcelona World Race in two stages will consolidate. The work of the FNOB over these 10 years has been extraordinary and there is no doubt that the fourth edition of the Barcelona World Race will be even more successful" said Antoine Mermod, President of the IMOCA class.
Interested skippers
For the first time, the crews will have to make a stopover in Sydney, which will enable them to "a real opening for international racing and class." A format that is of interest to many experienced skippers, both nationally and internationally. 16 teams have already entered it on their calendar - 11 of which already have an IMOCA 60. And there are 26 skippers of various nationalities who have made enquiries with the race directors, including Alex Thompson, Arnaud Boissières, Samantha Davies, Kito de Pavant and Alan Roura.
Barcelona, a pillar of international ocean sailing
The organisation is expecting to welcome between 10 and 11 boats on the start line, a way to demonstrate "the importance of the Barcelona World Race to international ocean sailing. Especially for the city of Barcelona, where ocean racing is firmly rooted in the local heritage. The union with Sydney further reinforces Barcelona's status as a must-see city for international ocean sailing. Until now, we did not have a geographical location where we could give additional visibility to the sponsors, so we will now be making a stopover in Sydney. It's a city of reference that makes the race very attractive for sponsors" says Xosé-Carlos Fernández, Director General of the FNOB.
New format, new team composition
Jacques Caraës, Race Director of the Barcelona World Race, gave more information about the new race format. The race will now consist of two legs. The crews will first head to Sydney from Barcelona, before heading to the Spanish city from Australia. The first leg will be 13,500 nautical miles long, with an expected finish at the end of February. The second will be 12,500 nautical miles, with a departure from Sydney on March 9th and an arrival in Barcelona in mid-April. Skippers will also be able to change co-skippers for the 2 e stage of the race.
An important race in the IMOCA calendar
The Barcelona World Race will have a high coefficient for the Globe series, the IMOCA World Championship and one of the legs even qualifies for the Vendée Globe, as Jacques Caraës explains "The Barcelona World Race will have a coefficient of 9 for the Globe series, the IMOCA World Championship. One of the stages will enable the boat to qualify for the 2020 Vendée Globe. We've tried to give the teams as much chance as possible to finish the race: one technical stopover per leg will be allowed, lasting a minimum of 48 hours each"
