VO65s History

Viva Mexico

The Volvo Ocean 65 class yacht Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing was built for the 2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race. Following this, the boat was refitted and renamed for the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race where it competed as Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. For the 2023 The Ocean Race she was renamed again to Viva México.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
2014–2015 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by British Olympic medalist Ian Walker the boat won the overall race.

Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag
2017–2018 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by David Witt (AUS)

Viva Mexico
The Ocean Race 2023
Skippered by Erik Brockmann (MEX)

Led by Mexican yachtsman Erik Brockmann – a past J70 Class world championship winner who as well as skippering Mexican teams in the Extreme Sailing Series has also racked up thousands of miles of offshore racing, including six editions of the prestigious Transpac Race.

Viva México took part in The Ocean Race Europe, flying the flag for Mexico and with an ambition to represent the country that had won the first race 50 years ago with Ramón Carlin’s Sayula II.

Among the crew that includes four time Olympian and former top ranked Laser
sailor Tania Elías Calles from Mexico, race veteran Roberto ‘Chuny’ Bermúdez de Castro from Spain will be sailing with his son Carlos Bermúdez de Castro.

Team JAJO

The Volvo Ocean 65 class yacht Team Brunel was built for the 2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race.
She finished second in the 2014–15 race and 3rd in the 2017–18 edition, both times skippered by Bouwe Bekking. For the 2023 The Ocean Race she was renamed Team JAJO.

Team Brunel
2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by Netherlands Bouwe Bekking
Team Brunel finished second in both the overall standings and the in-port series.

2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by Netherlands Bouwe Bekking
Team Brunel finished third in both the overall standings and the in-port series.

Team JAJO
The Ocean Race 2023
Skippered by Netherlands Jelmer van Beek

The core crew of the Netherlands entry Team JAJO is made up of five Dutch under-30 sailors skippered by Jelmer van Beek who is 27. Alongside him, acting as watch captain is legendary Dutch around-the-world racer Bouwe Bekking – a veteran of eight editions of The Ocean Race.

The team is managed by Sailing Holland and represents two of the oldest yacht clubs in the Netherlands: the Royal Maas Yacht Club and the Royal Netherlands Yacht Club.

Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team

Dongfeng Race Team was a Chinese sponsored Volvo Ocean 65 yacht. She finished third in the 2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race skippered by Charles Caudrelier and then went on to win the 2017-2018 edition, which started in Alicante, Spain, and ended in The Hague, in the Netherlands.

2017-18 crew
Skippered by Charles Caudrelier

2014-15 crew
Skippered by Charles Caudrelier

For the 2023 The Ocean Race she was renamed Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team

Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team
Winner of The Ocean Race Europe, the Portuguese team was skippered by Antonio Fontes, a veteran of The Ocean Race 2017-18 sailing aboard Scallywag. His wife Mariana Lobato is also among a crew that includes triple Olympian Diogo Cayolla, Olympic 470 bronze medallist, Hugo Rocha, Argentinian windsurfing Olympian Francisco Cruz.

Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team
In the final two legs of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint.The Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team and Global NextGen IT provider Trifork will be racing as the Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team.

Trifork and the Mirpuri Foundation share a common outlook towards sustainably and aim to operate a single-use plastic-free and zero carbon emissions race campaign.

Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team Skipper, Roberto ‘Chuny’ Bermúdez de Castro said: “I am really happy to be part of this great team, which has come together in a record time. We are a mix of people who know each other from a long time ago along with a new generation of young sailors. We have a fantastic boat with really good maintenance. I really appreciate the owners for their efforts to put all this together. We are looking forward to great racing in the VO65 Sprint.”

Austrian Ocean Racing Powered by Team Genova

Vestas 11th Hour Racing was a Volvo Ocean 65 class yacht team competing in the 2017–2018 Volvo Ocean Race. Is was named after 11th Hour Racing, a program of The Schmidt Family Foundation and its then title sponsors: a wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S. After the COVID-19 pandemic disruption the team changed yacht class to IMOCA 60 and no longer had Vestas as a sponsor. It now competes in the 2023 The Ocean Race as 11th Hour Racing.

The team finished fifth in the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race and in the 2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race, when she was known as Team Alvimedica and skippered by Charlie Enright.

Between the two races, Vestas 11th Hour Racing was extensively refitted along with the other Volvo Ocean 65's.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing
2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by Charlie Enright

Team Alvimedica
2014-2015 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by Charlie Enright

For the 2023 The Ocean Race she was renamed Austrian Ocean Racing Powered by Team Genova

Austrian Ocean Racing Powered by Team Genova
The Austrian campaign to compete in The Ocean Race was founded by 26 year old Austrian Konstantin and 23 year old Austrian Oliver Kobale along with skipper Gerwin Jansen.
Together, they purchased a VO65 and set out to train, competing in numerous regattas and covering over 50,000 nautical miles over the past three years. In search of a home port, they were welcomed in Genova in 2021, where they formed a strong partnership with the city which has been basis of the partnership behind the team’s entry in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint.

WindWhisper Racing Team

Team AkzoNobel is a Volvo Ocean 65 yacht. She was the only new yacht built for the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race. For the 2023 The Ocean Race she was renamed Windwhisper Racing Team.

Team AkzoNobel
2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race
Skippered by Simeon Tienpont

Windwhisper Racing Team
Skippered by experienced Spanish ocean racer Pablo Arrarte – a veteran of four editions of The Ocean Race: 2008-09 with Telefónica Blue (ESP); 2011-12 with Telefónica (ESP); 2014-15 with Team Brunel (NED); and with MAPFRE in 2017-18.
The squad is made up predominantly of exciting young Polish sailing talent – like Tokyo 2020 Laser Radial Olympian Magdalena Kwaśna (24) – backed up by the experience of veteran around-the-world racers including Neal McDonald who has competed in seven Ocean Races.