The 2008 – 2009 Volvo Ocean Race has recently added Singapore as one of its ports of call. The Volvo Ocean Race, is a yachting competition that lets yacht owners race around the world in a test of will, strength and wit. Originally, the Volvo Ocean Race route starts with yacht owners crossing the Atlantic, moving south towards Africa and capping the race off in and around the Southeast Ocean. This is the first time that an Asian destination, like Singapore, has been added to the route.

The yachts will stopover at Singapore’s Sentosa Island, a glorious white sand beach located at the tip of Singapore. The fleet will be staying at the One Degree 15 Marina Club, one of Asia’s premiere marinas.

Glenn Bourke, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, believes that Volvo has made the right decision with including Singapore in next year’s Volvo Ocean Race. He says,

“Singapore is vastly experienced in managing major sporting events and, as a testament to this, has just recently acquired the Formula One Grand Prix. The facilities provided to us by One Degree 15 on Sentosa Island will be world class.”

Arthur Tay, chairman of One Degree 15 Singapore Ocean Race Pte Ltd and chairman of One Degree 15, is equally pleased with Singapore’s inclusion. To quote Mr. Tay,

“We are privileged to host such a high-profile event like the Volvo Ocean Race, often referred to as the F1 of the sailing world. Singapore is fast gaining a reputation as an international sailing hub and an exciting lifestyle destination. Now we are all set to welcome the world’s fastest ocean racing yachts. These are truly exciting times for Singapore.”

The2008 – 2009 Volvo Ocean Race will begin in Alicante, Spain on October 11, 2008 and will finish in the Russian port of St. Petersburg.

Both the inclusion of a Southeast Asian port of call (Singapore) and the commencement of the yacht race in St. Petersburg are firsts for the Volvo Ocean Race. This season appears to be a very interesting one. Make sure to stay tuned when the Volvo Ocean Race starts. View for free and keep updated with play by play accounts on Volvo Ocean Race TV.

Sources: Singapore Confirmed as Stopover, Singapore Confirmed as an Asian stopover

This entry was posted on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 11:15 pm and is filed under Volvo News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.