[cmsmasters_row][cmsmasters_column data_width=”1/1″][cmsmasters_text]
Kiwi sailor Bianca Cook plans to skipper a boat in the 2021–22 Ocean Race. For her, though, it’s more than a high-profile dash to the finish line – it’s also a long-term strategy for better opportunities. Story by Kia Koropp.One of the worlds most gruelling endurance events – the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race – has been sold by the Volvo Group and will run under a new name for the next (2021–22) event. Rebranded The Ocean Race, it’s focused on promoting environmental sustainability and ocean health awareness, as well as increasing diversity within the sport.
Two boat classes will compete – the high-tech, open-design IMOCA 60s, and the one-design Volvo Ocean 65 (now VO65). The IMOCA 60 drives technological innovation in yacht racing and has an elite, five-person crew. The VO65, on the other hand, is a uniform design. It carries a 10-person crew and provides a platform for opportunities for women and younger sailors.
The race has helped define the careers of many of New Zealand’s sailors since its inception in 1973. Sailing legend Sir Peter Blake was involved in the first five Whitbread Round the World races, and New Zealanders have been on almost every boat in recent events. Two Kiwis were on the winning boat in the last VOR race (2017–18).
While nearly 190 Kiwis have competed in the event’s 50-year history, only six New Zealand-flagged boats have been contenders (excluding Camper, which sailed under a joint partnership). The last one was Amer Sport One in 2001–02. She finished third.
Cook wants to change this. She believes it’s time to re-energise the race in the collective Kiwi consciousness. She completed her first around-the-world race on Turn the Tide on Plastic in 2017–18 and believes New Zealand’s interest in the event has faded due to lack of visibility.
“I think people have lost interest because there hasn’t been a New Zealand team to follow. Few people know anything about it anymore – there’s a lack of connection and involvement. I want New Zealanders to get excited about ocean racing again – to get behind a team and be proud of that team.”
To encourage crew diversity, the new race rules stipulate each entry must carry three people who’ve done the race before or who have notable Southern Ocean experience. Six must be under 30 and, of them, three must be under 26. Finally, three must be female.
Cook is taking this one step further. She aims to bring together a Kiwi-dominant crew to reinvigorate the excitement around the race in New Zealand.
“This is something that hasn’t been done in a very long time. Our main mission is making sure we have a Kiwi team under a Kiwi flag. It’s about having a boat for Kiwis, not just a boat of Kiwis.”
According to Tony Rae, Cook’s campaign manager and himself a seasoned veteran of the race, the demand is there. “The last two times I’ve sailed into New Zealand people have said to me ‘wouldn’t it be amazing if we had a New Zealand team?’ It feels like there’s a lot of support for and interest in having a New Zealand team. I really want a national team the country can follow, with a new wave of sailors.”
Cook’s decided to do just that. With the recent acquisition of the VO65 Turn the Tide on Plastic, she’s now secured an old friend. “She’s circumnavigated twice before and we know she can do it a third time. Tony also sailed on her in a previous edition of the race.”
Equal Opportunity
The VO65 class is geared to cultivating diversity by setting an age and gender criteria, creating significant opportunities for women and young sailors in a sport that has trended to teams of tenured sailors.
Earlier races comprised larger fleets of large yachts with large crews. Design innovation has seen a decrease in entries, and significantly smaller crews. In addition, teams used to be a collection of enthusiastic sailors who raised their hands to compete while balancing jobs ashore because there was no career path in racing.
That’s all changed. Landing a position on a boat has become incredibly competitive and once proven, that spot is pretty much guaranteed ad infinitum. “Professional sailors today can stay in sailing longer than other professional sports,” says Rae, “which means sailing teams tend to stick with the same group of people.”
By establishing an age and gender criteria, teams will be forced to incorporate new talent into the ranks. This encourages more diversity within the sport, creating a gateway opportunity for women and younger sailors to get into competitive racing, opening doors which previously have been tightly shut.
If Cook succeeds in getting to the start line, she will join an exclusive community of women who have skippered a boat in this race. She will stand alongside Tracey Edwards – the first female skipper to compete in the race (the 1989–90 Whitbread Race), 30 years ago.
“Tracy and her crew on Maiden were inspirational,” say Cook. “They were told they wouldn’t make it around in one piece. They proved everyone wrong.” Cook will be creating her own benchmark – she will be the first New Zealand woman to skipper a boat in the historic race. While women have been involved in competitive racing for a long time, their numbers are limited. Cook and Rae believe attitudes have changed, driven by regulations that force an age and gender balance within the sport. “I think in general there are more and more women in the different classes, driven by criteria set by the race that bring in a balance and levels the playing field,” says Rae.
And fortunately for women there is now a gap and a demand that needs to be filled. With more slots opening up on professional teams, there is a growing opportunity for women to pursue a career in the industry.
The Vision
And therein lies the heart of the campaign. In addition to getting the boat to the start line, Cook and Rae are looking further down the track: they aim to use both boat and race as a platform to get New Zealand youth into competitive racing.
The goal is to foster a younger generation of offshore sailors. “I had those opportunities when I was in my twenties,” recalls Rae, “and it’s what I want to see again – the next generation of young sailors having that opportunity, and a New Zealand team to do it on.”
Cook’s campaign – New Zealand Ocean Racing – will be set up as an ongoing programme for the development of youth and to provide a gateway into a career in offshore racing.
“The long-term vision is really important,” says Rae. “It is about having a pathway for this younger generation of ocean racers, so they’ve got something to work towards after this race is finished. By doing the race multiple times we will continue to create opportunities for sailors to get into competitive offshore racing and move onwards into new campaigns and races.”
Hurdles
Wanting to compete in an around-the-world race is one thing, actually doing it is quite another. While the boat exists, raising a million dollars is a challenge – and there is still a long way to go.
Eighteen months out from the start, race organisers have yet to announce the list of stopover ports – a key factor in getting sponsors behind the campaign. As soon as the route is made public, Cook can move forward in securing sponsorship.
For a woman who has neither skippered a boat in a competitive race nor managed a high-profile campaign, Cook is shouldering an extraordinary task. She needs to train, but must also learn to manage a campaign, find the funding and build a team.
She concedes it’s a daunting prospect. “At the moment I’m getting the boat serviced, setting up the containers, working on proposals, contacting sponsors, liaising with The Ocean Race organisers – all while touring New Zealand yacht clubs.”
Rae, fortunately, has been down this track many times before. He has competed in this race six times previously and was involved in seven America’s Cup campaigns. And when it comes to running a boat, he believes it is more than skill that defines a competent skipper.
“Being a skipper is more about having the right attitude and being confident. You don’t have to be the best helmsman – you are talking about a team so it isn’t just about driving the boat. It’s about being able to work with the people you have around you and having that right personality and show the right responsibility.” He’s supremely confident that Cook has the mettle and determination for the job.
The next step is finding the right crew. “There is so much complexity in creating a team,” says Rae. “It is about skill, but it’s also about personality and attitude. It the kind of race you need to find someone who really has the passion for it and who gets on in the team environment.”
Cook has crewed on enough boats to know how important it is to have a strong, collaborative team working well together. Recalling the previous VOR race, she says “you’re not just pushing yourself, you’re pushing each other. You have to know that you can work well. Whoever we start with now may not be how the team looks when we get to the start line.”
While the application process hasn’t started yet, the list of interested parties is growing. She hopes to get the boat on the water as soon as possible.
“We need to get the squad to do enough miles so they’re very confident about running the boat,” says Rae. “The crew has to be very comfortable running the boat fast – but also safe. And that only comes with time on the water. We need to start this campaign with a squad, aiming to have a year of sailing to clock up the offshore miles, including a 2000nm non-stop qualifier.”
Cook will make sure that happens by giving the team ample opportunity to gain experience. The boat will join local events such as the Auckland to Fiji race and the 2021 Sydney to Auckland race.
But the major race right now is the race for cash. It will buy more than a New Zealand flag. It will buy dreams. It will buy opportunity. It will buy a legacy.
[/cmsmasters_text][/cmsmasters_column][/cmsmasters_row]
