Banking on Volvo event

ROBIN BAILEY outlines how an event organiser is ensuring
Auckland makes the most of next year's Volvo Ocean Race stopover.

For three weeks in January, Auckland will again be the focal point of the yachting world. The Volvo Ocean Race fleet will be in town after completing the Sydney-Hobart-Auckland leg of the contest.

What began as a gentlemanly seagoing adventure in September 1973 as the Whitbread Round-the-World Yacht Race has developed into an exercise that combines sailing skill with cutting-edge technology. For next year's event, eight almost identical one-class VO 60 racing yachts will cover 32,250 nautical miles over nine months and across four oceans.

They reach Auckland after racing from Southampton to Cape Town, then to Sydney and Hobart before the transtasman leg. The fleet is expected here on January 3 and sails for Rio de Janeiro on January 27.

Auckland won the right to host the stopover from Fremantle and Wellington, but what does the Volvo stopover mean for the home of the America's Cup?

To ensure the success of the fleet's stay in town, the city is underwriting a promotional budget of just under $4 million. Managing the activity is experienced event organiser Stephen Vuleta, who is confident most of that outlay will be recovered from race syndicates and sponsorship.

That's a mantra Aucklanders have heard about previous Whitbread stopovers and the America's Cup defence. High and often over-hyped expectations were not achieved when the time came to tot up the sums.

Vuleta has no doubts. "We are planning for three weeks of sailing-inspired fun and excitement as Aucklanders take the world's greatest ocean-racing grand prix to their hearts," he says.

"Our aim is to provide a level of free entertainment and public involvement. Three America's Cup bases will become the haul-out area and the public will have access to the fleet. There will also be sponsor displays open to the public and a huge range of free entertainment from concerts to street theatre."

The stopover team predicts more than 500,000 local, national and international visitors will go through the Volvo Ocean Race Village at the Viaduct Harbour while the fleet is in town. This is expected to benefit the Auckland economy by more than $20 million.

Vuleta emphasises these figures are not plucked out of the air. Government-commissioned reports on the benefits to Auckland and New Zealand from hosting the America's Cup show that event generated $640 million in economic activity, with $473 million of that, and more than 8000 jobs, in the Auckland region.

"The direct economic impacts of the Volvo are expected to be wide-ranging, stimulated by the spending of syndicates, international visitors, spectators and the media covering the event," he says. "Spectator numbers will be boosted by supporter groups, sponsors' guests and race followers coming to New Zealand as well as domestic visitors from around the country."

As was the case with the America's Cup, the benefits of the event will spread through the marine industry, hotels, restaurants and the hospitality and leisure sectors.

Three of the VO 60 yachts are being built here, all by Cooksons in Auckland. Each will cost between $3.5 million and $4 million. During the three-week stopover there will be added business for the marine servicing industry as the fleet is readied for the tough Southern Ocean leg and beyond.

Eight boats from seven syndicates will contest the event, with two New Zealand skippers and Kiwi sailors in almost all the competing VO 60s. The syndicates are: Nautor (two boats), Italy/Finland (skipper Grant Dalton, NZ); Team Tyco, Bermuda (Kevin Shoebridge, NZ); Assa Abloy Racing Team, Sweden (Roy Heiner, Holland); Illbruck Challenge, Germany (John Kostecki, US); Djuice Dragons, Norway (Knut Frostad, Norway); Team News Corp, Australia (Jez Fanstone, UK); Team SEB, Sweden (Gunnary Krantz, Sweden).

Weekend Marine will cover other aspects of the event leading up to the start of the race.