Kochi to host Volvo ocean race (2nd leg of the 11 stopover race)

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Kochi aka Cochin situated in kerela (India) is the official host to the Volvo Ocean Race. to be more precise kochi will host as the 2nd stopover for the race which will dock on 11 ports.
the stopover port agreement was signed on the 18th of January 2008 by Andy Hindley, Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race; Mr. N. Ramachandran, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust and Mr. KG Mohanlal, Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

For those who are not familiar with the race the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews. The 2008 09 race spans over 9 months and will start from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, and for the first time ever touch the Asian waters which include Kochi (India), the yachts will cover over 39,000 nautical miles and will make stops over 11 ports to complete the race successfully.

Here is a visual map with the routes

The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village covering 2.5 acres of land will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.

The other stopover ports include Cape Town, Singapore, Qingdao, Rio De Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and Stockholm. The race will end at St.Petersburg, Russia, in July 2009. A few Olympic gold medallists in yachting are among the participants in the race. Kerala Tourism and agencies such as the Yachting Association of India will help to publicise and promote the event.

V. Venu, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, said sponsors were expected to pool funds of around Rs. 5 crore for readying facilities for the racers, tourists and the general public.“We expect to accommodate them in 1,200 hotel rooms, spread over Kochi, Kumarakom and Alappuzha. The organisers will bring in over 10,000 guests, mainly VIPs and corporate heads, from within India and outside,” he said.

All in all it’s a very positive step towards the Indian yachting/ sailing industry and will surely act as a boost for the Indian tourism industry (imagine the no of tourists that will be present for the event) also giving international accreditation for sailing in India. We can surely expect more of such events in India.