The Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06

— 01 Dec 2003

Because of his extensive round-the-world design experience (two Whitbread projects, one Vendée Globe project and the BT Global Challenge fleet) Rob Humphreys sat on the Race Management Committee for the 2001-2002 Volvo race, and subsequently was asked to participate in the development of the new Volvo 70 Class Rule, with a fist conceptual meeting held in Auckland during the last America’s Cup. Having been deeply involved in the development of the Whitbread 60 Rule some ten years ago it was interesting to reflect how design had progressed over the intervening years.

Now that it’s come round to the design phase for the Volvo, Humphreys had to make a decision as to whether to throw his hat into the ring. Such projects demand huge commitment and with everything else that was going on in the HYD office he decided to tackle any prospective Volvo work on a collaborative basis. In the same way as Kingfisher was designed in conjunction with Owen Clarke Design Group, Humphreys elected to work towards the next Volvo with Ker Design Associates, one of the most able of the new breed of young designers. The Humphreys office will be deeply involved in the conceptual and naval architectural work, and looks forward to development work in this exciting new format.