Focusing on simplicity and efficiency
The concept of the SolOceans relies on a tripod that highlights the EQUALITY of opportunities for skippers and boat-owners to compete on an equal footing, the EMOTION, that a very broad audience will undoubtedly acknowledge, and the GUARANTEES given to all the actors involved in the race: skippers, businesses, regional and local authorities, journalists and representatives of sporting authorities.
EQUALITY - Competitors confronting each other on an equal footing is the essence of sport. It is a simple and universal concept epitomized by the most anticipated event in the Olympic Games: the sprint. Every detail in the SolOceans has been conceived in such a way that the boat Veolia Oceans® - has no greater influence on the final result than the sprinter's shorts, shoes and jersey.
The one-design status of the SolOceans is complete. Pre-preg carbon material treated at 90 degrees Celsius guarantees the weights and structural consistency. As a result, the hulls and decks of competing boats will be perfectly identical. The internationally renowned quality and reputation of official suppliers, as well as the nature of the contracts signed with them, guarantee reliable and high performance materials, and all competing boats will be perfectly identical. The sails will be North Sails 3DL resulting from the technology of the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, and developed by single-handed offshore sailors such as Ellen MacArthur. The Veolia Oceans® monohulls will be equipped with Harken winches, Lancelin ropes, Karver furling units and electronics by NKE. A Nanni Diesel engine and a hydro generator will provide energy onboard.
EMOTION - Offshore racing is widely considered to be a sporting adventure practiced by men and women of exception. By putting everyone on an equal footing, with identical equipment, the SolOceans magnify human involvement and consequently minimize the technological factor. The SolOceans will provide a wealth of human emotions.
The material and sails used to construct the boats is of reduced importance as all the boats are identical. What really matters to the public is the solo sailor's ability to face, all alone, the elements in some of the world's most hostile stretches of water. It is a story about the conquerors of the impossible embarked on a naval battle of modern times, on a sprint around the globe. This feature of the SolOceans will be the main vehicle for communication where human endeavour will prevail over sport results. Indeed, amazing stories of sailors happen at the head of the fleet, in the middle of the group and also far behind the leaders. Our attention will be focused on all of them.
GUARANTEES - "Guarantee" is the driving force behind the SolOceans. Everyone will benefit from it: sportsmen with rigorous one-design monohulls in order to sail fast and safely; ship-owners with affordable budgets and fully controlled costs; sponsors with a contractual media coverage; media with the simplicity and the strength of the event; regional and local authorities with the exposure of start and finish sites; sporting authorities respecting the ethics of international sailing; and finally the public with exceptional adventures, full of emotion and astonishing images.
