The Volvo Ocean 65 Class has been designed, engineered and built to be a high performance racing machine.
The introduction of the One Design Volvo Ocean 65 revolutionised the Volvo Ocean Race, leading to closer competition and ensuring that the race is won on the oceans rather than at the design stage.
In the 2017/18 edition of the race the VO65 produced record-breaking speeds. The racing was also the closest in the 45-year history of the event with three teams approaching the finish line of the final leg, all with an opportunity to win the overall title. The winning margin was just 16-minutes after 126 days and 40 000 miles of racing! The 2021 event marked the third race for the robust VO65 fleet.
The Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team boat, named ‘Racing for the Planet’, is numbered VO65-1, being the first built of eight vessels in all, and has a great pedigree. It is the winning yacht from the 2017–2018 edition of the Race.
Since being acquired by the Mirpuri Foundation the boat has undergone a 6 500 man-hour refit. A four-month-long process which saw literally everything on the boat being stripped out and replaced prior to the yacht’s delivery to the Mirpuri Foundation for its official baptism in November 2019, including its new ‘Racing for the Planet’ livery proudly on display.
Technical Specifications
Hull Length
20.37 m (66.830 ft)
Length waterline (design)
20.00 m (65.61 ft)
Length overall (inc. bowsprit)
22.14 m (72.63 ft)
Hull Beam overall
5.60 m (18.37 ft)
Max Draft (Keel on CL)
4.78 m (15.68 ft)
Boat Weight (empty)
12,500 kg (27,5557 lb)
Keel arrangement
Canting keel to +/- 40 degrees with 5 degrees of incline axis
Daggerboards
Twin forward daggerboards, inboard triangulation
Rudders
Twin fixed rudders - composite stocks
Aft Water Ballast (Wing Tanks)
Twin 800L ballast tanks under cockpit sides at transom
Forward Water Ballast (CL)
Single centerline 1100L ballast tank forward of mast
Rig Height
30.30 m (99.4 ft)
Rig Arrangement
Twin topmast backstays and checkstays with deflectors
Bowsprit Length
2.14 m (7ft)
Mainsail Area
163 m2
Working Jib Area
133 m2
Upwind Sail Area
468 m2 (mainsail and masthead Code 0)
296 m2 (mainsail and working jib)
Downwind Sail Area
578 m2 (mainsail and A3)
Engine
Volvo Penta D2-75 with S-drive
Some Curiosities
VO65 Boat raced by 10 crew members
Top speed 38 knots / approx 70kmph
Sail area of 5.800 sq feet is the equivalent of 2.5 tennis courts
The boat weights 12.500kg, the equivalent of two African elephants
Sailors alternate work and sleep in intensive four hour shifts
The VO65 boat carries approx 3km of ropes
It takes 12.5kg of freeze-dried food to feed 10 crews for one day
Around the Europe hardcore racing 24/7 for days at a time, commencing January 2023
Award-winning sustainability programme
2.5 million visitors to Fan Villages around the world