The Velux 5 Oceans Race was a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed in stages, managed by Clipper Ventures since 2000. Its most recent name comes from its main sponsor Velux. Originally known as the BOC Challenge, for the title sponsor BOC, the first edition was in 1982. In the late 1990s the race was renamed the Around Alone. The 2010-11 race was the last to take place and attracted just five entries. The event has not been held since.
Overview
The race was established in 1982 as the BOC Challenge, with main sponsorship from BOC. The race was inspired by the Golden Globe Race, which was the first single-handed round-the-world yacht race. Although the Golden Globe was a non-stop race, the BOC Challenge concept was for a single-handed round-the-world race, to be run in stages (in contrast to the Vendée Globe, which is non-stop). As the longest single-handed event in the world, it was regarded as one of sailing's ultimate challenges.Race History, from the official web site
The race was run every four years. The first edition was won by Philippe Jeantot, who won all four legs of the race with an overall elapsed time of just over 159 days. In 1998, the race was renamed the Around Alone; for 2006, it is known as the Velux 5 Oceans Race.
Past results
The BOC Challenge 1982–83
Raced over four legs; Newport, Rhode Island — Cape Town — Sydney — Rio de Janeiro — Newport. Two classes of boat were entered: Class 1, 45–56 feet (13.7–17.1 m); and Class 2, 32–44 feet (9.7–13.4 m).
Results:Roll of Honour (1982), from the official web site The BOC Challenge 1982–1983 Results, from solocircumnavigation.com
Skipper Boat Nationality Time Class 1: 45 to 56 feet Philippe Jeantot Credit Agricole 159 days Bertie Reed Altech Voortrekker 170 days Richard Broadhead Perseverance of Medina 192 days Neville Gosson Leda Pier One 202 days Desmond Hampton Gipsy Moth V Wrecked Tony Lush Lady Pepperell Sunk Leg 2 Paul Rogers Spirit of Pentax Retired Leg 1 Dave White Gladiator Retired Leg 1 Class 2: 32 to 44 feet Yukoh Tada Koden Okera V 207 days Francis Stokes Mooneshine 209 days Richard Konkolski Nike III 213 days Guy Bernadin Ratso II 221 days Dan Byrne Fantasy 228 days Richard McBride City of Dunedin 264 days Jacques de Roux Skoiern III Sunk Leg 3 Greg Coles Datsun Skyline Retired Leg 1 Thomas Lindholm Driftwood Retired Leg 1
The BOC Challenge 1986–87
Raced over four legs; Newport, Rhode Island — Cape Town — Sydney — Rio de Janeiro — Newport. Two classes of boat were entered: Class 1, 50–60 feet (15.2–18.3 m); and Class 2, 40–50 feet (12.2–15.2 m). New safety rules were introduced for this race, including compulsory watertight bulkheads and a simple stability check.
Results:Roll of Honour (1986), from the official web site The BOC Challenge 1986–1987 Results, from solocircumnavigation.com
Skipper Boat Nationality Time Class 1: 50 to 60 feet Philippe Jeantot Credit Agricole 134 days Titouan Lamazou Ecureuil 137 days Jean-Y Terlain UAP 146 days Guy Bernadin Biscuit Lu 146 days John Martin Tuna Marine 147 days Ian Kiernan Triple M 156 days Bertie Reed Stabilo Boss 163 days Dave White Legend Securities 164 days Richard McBride Kiwi Express Retired Leg 1 John Biddlecombe ACI Crusader Retired Leg 1 Warren Luhrs Thursday's Child Retired Leg 2 Class 2: 40 to 50 feet Mike Plant Airco Distributor 157 days Jean-Luc Van Den Heede Let's Go 161 days Harry Harkimo Belmont Finland 168 days Hal Roth American Flag 171 days Richard Konkolski Declaration 172 days Pentti Salmi Colt by Rettig 175 days Mark Schrader Lone Star 175 days John Hughes Joseph Young 189 days Dick Cross Airforce Retired Leg 1 Eduardo Louro de Almeida Miss Global Retired Leg 1 Mac Smith Qualo Retired Leg 1 Takao Shimada Madonna Retired Leg 1 Harry Mitchell Double Cross Retired Leg 3 Jacques de Roux Skoiern IV Lost at sea Leg 2
The BOC Challenge 1990–91
The course was changed for this edition, although it was still divided into four legs: Newport, Rhode Island — Cape Town — Sydney — Punta del Este — Newport. Three classes of boat were entered: Class 1, 50–60 feet (15.2–18.3 m); Class 2, 40–50 feet (12.2–15.2 m); and a Corinthian class.
Results:Roll of Honour (1990), from the official web site The BOC Challenge 1990–1991 Results, from solocircumnavigation.com
Skipper Boat Nationality Time Class 1: 50 to 60 feet Christophe Auguin Groupe Sceta 120 days Alain Gautier Generali Concorde 122 days Philippe Jeantot Credit Agricole IV 129 days Mike Plant Duracell 132 days Kanga Birtles Jarkan Yacht Builders 135 days Dave Adams Innkeeper 136 days Isabelle Autissier Ecureuil Poitou Charantes 139 days Bertie Reed Grinaker 140 days Jose de Ugarte BBV Expo '92 140 days Nándor Fa Alba Regia 165 days John Martin Allied Bank Sank Leg 3 John Biddlecombe Interox Crusader Retired Leg 1 Enda O'Coineen Kilcullen Retired Leg 1 Class 2: 40 to 50 feet Yves Dupasquier Servant IV 141 days Don McIntyre Buttercup 153 days Josh Hall New Spirit of Ipswich 157 days Jack Boye Project City Kids 158 days Hal Roth Sebago 211 days Yukoh Tada Koden VIII Retired Leg 2 Jane Weber Tilley Endurable Retired Leg 1 Corinthian class Paul Thackaberry Volcano 180 days Robin Davie Global Exposure 181 days Minoru Saito Shuten Dohji 197 days William Gilmore Zafu Retired Leg 1 Robert Hooke Niihau 4 Retired Leg 3
The BOC Challenge 1994–95
The course was again changed for this edition, although it was still divided into four legs: Charleston, South Carolina — Cape Town — Sydney — Punta del Este — Charleston. Two classes of boat were entered: Class 1, 50–60 feet (15.2–18.3 m); and Class 2, 40–50 feet (12.2–15.2 m).
Results:Roll of Honour (1994), from the official web site The BOC Challenge 1994–1995 Results, from solocircumnavigation.com
Skipper Boat Nationality Time Class 1: 50 to 60 feet Christophe Auguin Sceta-Calberson 121 days Steve Pettengill Hunters Child 128 days Jean-Luc Van Den Heede Vendee Enterprises 129 days David Scully Coyote 133 days JJ Provoyeur Novell S.Africa 133 days Arnet Taylor Thursday's Child 200 days Josh Hall Gartmore Sank Leg 1 Mark Gatehouse QAB Retired Leg 1 Isabelle Autissier Ecureuil Poitou-Charentes 2 Sank Leg 2 Class 2: 40 to 50 feet Dave Adams True Blue 131 days Giovanni Soldini Kodak 134 days Niah Vaughan Jimroda II 166 days Alan Nebauer Newcastle Australia 181 days Robin Davie Cornwall 197 days Minoru Saito Shuten Dohji II 223 days Floyd Romak Cardac 88 Retired Leg 1 Neal Petersen Protect our Sealife Retired Leg 2 Simone Bianchetti Town of Cervia Retired Leg 2 Nigel Rowe Skycatcher Retired Leg 3 Harry Mitchell Hornblower Lost at sea
The Around Alone, 1998
The course was again changed for this edition, although it was still divided into four legs: Charleston, South Carolina — Cape Town — Auckland — Punta del Este — Charleston. Two classes of boat were entered: Class 1, 50–60 feet (15.2–18.3 m); and Class 2, 40–50 feet (12.2–15.2 m).
In this race Isabelle Autissier was rescued by fellow competitor Giovanni Soldini when her boat PRB capsized approximately west of Cape Horn.Howe, Robert F. (1 March 1999) "The Deep End of the Sea", Time. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
The results:Roll of Honour (1998), from the official web site Around Alone 1998–1999 Results, from solocircumnavigation.com1998–99 Around Alone Results , from Torresen Marine
Skipper Boat Nationality Time Class 1: 50 to 60 feet Giovanni Soldini Fila 116 days Marc Thiercelin Somewhere 130 days Josh Hall Gartmore Dismasted Leg 3 Fyodor Konyukhov Modern Unervisity For The Humanities Retired Leg 2 Mike Golding Group 4 Securitas Retired Leg 2 Isabelle Autissier PRB (1) Capsized Leg 3 rescued by Giovanni Soldini Sebastian Reidl Project Amazon Class 2: 40 to 50 feet Jean Pierre Mouligne Cray Valley 132 days Michael Garside Magellan Alpha 138 days Brad van Liew Balance Bar 150 days Viktor Yazykov Wind of Change 168 days Neal Petersen www.no-barriers.com 195 days Minoru Saito Shuten Dohji II 203 days Neil Hunter Paladin II 216 days Robin Davie South Carolina Disqualified Leg 2 George Stricker Rapscallion III Retired Leg 2
Viktor Yazykov is noted for performing surgery alone, at sea, on his elbow to drain a dangerous infection after injuring his elbow during the race. He emailed a doctor who provided instructions for his treatmentAlone Against The Sea - The Dangers Of Solo SailingCruising World, February 2008
The Around Alone, 2002
The course was again changed for this edition, this time spanning five legs: Newport, Rhode Island/New York — Brixham, Devon — Cape Town — Tauranga — Salvador, Brazil — Newport. Although the race technically started and ended in Newport, it was preceded by a "prologue race", in which the boats with crews of up to five raced to New York, to take part in Sail for America, a major sailing event marking the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The main Around Alone event started from New York, and finished back in Newport.
Three classes of boat were entered: Class 1, IMOCA Open 60; Class 2, IMOCA Open 50; and Class 3, IMOCA Open 40.
Results:Roll of Honour (2002), from the official web site Overall results , for 2002, from Pindar's website
Skipper Boat Nationality Time Class 1: IMOCA Open 60 Bernard Stamm Bobst Group - Armor Lux 49 pts 115 days Thierry Dubois Solidaires 45 pts 118 days Simone Bianchetti Tiscali 35 pts 159 days Emma Richards Pindar 33 pts 131 days Bruce Schwab Ocean Planet 30 pts 159 days Patrick Radigues Garnier Retired Leg 1 Graham Dalton Hexagon HSBC Retired Leg 3 Class 2: IMOCA Open 50 Brad van Liew Tommy Hilfiger 50 pts 148 days Tim Kent Everest Horizontal 44 pts 169 days John Dennis Bayer Ascensia Retired Leg 2 Class 3: IMOCA Open 40 Derek Hatfield Spirit of Canada 37 pts 245 days Kojiro Shiraishi Spirit of Yukoh 36 pts 180 days Alan Paris BTC Velocity 30 pts 202 days
The Velux 5 Oceans 2006–07
The 2006 edition covered a route of nautical miles ( km). The race started in Bilbao (Spain), on October 22, 2006, and finished there. There were only two stops, in Fremantle (Australia) and Norfolk (USA).
Skipper Name Boat name Nationality Boat Type Time Bernard Stamm Cheminées Poujoulat Open 60 103 days Kojiro Shiraishi Spirit of Yukoh Open 60 118 days Unai Basurko Pakea / Basque Open 60 158 days Sir Robin Knox-Johnston SAGA Insurance Open 60 159 days Graham Dalton A Southern Man-AGD Open 50 Finished Leg 2 Mike Golding Ecover 3 Open 60 Retired Leg 1 Alex Thomson Hugo Boss (1) Open 60 Abandoned Leg 1
The race was open to monohull yachts conforming to the Open 50 and Open 60 class criteria. The Open classes are unrestricted in certain aspects but a box rule governs parameters such as overall length, draught, appendages and stability, as well as numerous other safety features.The Boats, from the official web site
The race took place in stages, with the skippers having the chance to rest and refit at each stop-over point. Different staging points have been used over the years; the races prior to the 1998 event were run in four legs, and the 1998 event in five legs. The 2006 edition had the longest stages of any edition to date, with just three legs:Race Route, from the official web site
From To Expected Start Expected Finish Length (nm) Bilbao, Spain Fremantle, Australia October 22, 2006 Early December 2006 11,730 Fremantle, Australia Norfolk, Virginia, USA January 7, 2007 Mid March 2007 14,500 Norfolk, Virginia, USA Bilbao, Spain April 15, 2007 End of April 2007 3,910
The total length for the 2006 edition was 30,140 nautical miles (55,820 km).
The Velux 5 Oceans 2010–11 The 2010 edition of the race started in La Rochelle (France), on October 17, 2010, and finished in the same port. Stopovers were Cape Town (South Africa), Wellington (New Zealand), Punta del Este (Uruguay), and Charleston, South Carolina (USA). The sailboats were all in the "Eco 60" class (Open 60 yachts built before 1 January 2003).