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Bourke Bails on the VOR

Posted 1 year ago

Bourke Bails on the VOR
There isn't much in my e-mail that surprises me these days, but the news this morning from Volvo Ocean Race headquarters in England that its CEO, Glenn Bourke, was stepping down came from left field. Citing personal reasons, mainly the strain of being away from his family in Australia (as he has been for many years), he said, “It's no secret to those people who know me well that being so far away from my family for so many years has been stressful at times. My children are now at an age where I feel I need to be spending more time with them. Ultimately they come first on my list of priorities." With the race due to start next November, now is likely the best time for Bourke to step aside, if there is such a best time. The race has enough "confirmed" entries (the latest hailing from Ireland) to make it interesting and the route is basically set in stone. Yes, even Kochi, India, of all places. In his five years at the reins of this legendary race, he took it forward from the stagnation of Volvo 60s to the first generation of high-powered 70s. He took plenty of heat when scuttling the 60s, and there was no lack of purported back room dealing to get the last fleet up to seven boats. In the end, the race lived up to its billing, with ABN's two-boat effort crushing the fleet and putting the race out front in the global media. This effort, of course, was helped with new elements like the in-port racing, scoring gates and more footage off the boats, not to mention the near-sinkings of Pirates of the Caribbean and movistar (which, remember, did eventually sink in the North Atlantic). The horrific death of ABN AMRO Two crewmember Hans Horrevoets reaffirmed the extreme nature of the race and put the race in perspective once again. He took bold steps to take the race in a new direction, but the criticism he shouldered last time pales in comparison with the heat he's gotten for this current edition. Ditching the traditional Southern Ocean race route so as to bring the race to key commercial markets in the Middle East and Asia will deny the sailors the southern latitude extremes that make the race appealing, but new territories will bring new challenges— when's the last time anyone finished a race in St. Petersburg, Russia. In this age of competitive sporting sponsorship, it is a necessary evil, but perhaps someday, we'll see the race return to its roots as a race for the sailors first and foremost. Full Story »

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