Volvo Penta going round again

Volvo Penta goes for a second circumnavigation in the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race, in which it competes as an official supplier to the Persico Marine built fleet.

Each of the Volvo Ocean 65 sailing boats will be fitted with a D2-75 engine with Saildrive, hands-on engine maintenance and support, as well additional power during the race stopovers.

Designed for the toughest of conditions, the Volvo Penta D2-75 engines have already done one lap around the world, covering approximately 39,000 nautical miles during the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race.

Thanks to having one boat design for two race editions, the Volvo Ocean 65 boats and Volvo Penta engines from 2014-15 will race around the world for a second lap of 46,000 nautical miles, once again prepared to meet some of the toughest challenges in round-the-world sailing.

High speeds
The Volvo Ocean 65 boats often operate at high speeds, where extreme maneuverability is critical in all conditions.

“The conditions of the Volvo Ocean Race are extreme and not only push the boats and sailing crew to the limit, but, also, all the equipment,” commented Mark Turner, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race. “We need to ensure everything on board is 100% reliable. Volvo Penta provides the perfect engines to suit these extreme conditions.

“These boats have been built for two editions of the race and we have so much faith in the condition of the engines that we have not replaced them; we are confident they are up for a second trip around the world.”

Each of the Volvo Ocean 65 boats will be equipped with one D2-75 engine for both auxiliary and propulsion needs.

The engine is there when needed as a primary propulsion source – for safe navigation in and out of harbors, as well as a potential lifesaving instrument in case of an emergency.

During the race, the gearboxes are sealed, but the engine is used to power the boats’ total demand for electricity for computers, navigation equipment, lights and communication units on board. Additionally, the engine provides power to the batteries to run the water maker, which converts salt water into drinking water.

The engine delivers the on board energy required through two, 24 volt alternators, which stores the energy in two lithium Ion batteries.

It also supplies the power to the hydraulic system for the canting keel, which provides extra counterweight when sailing. The keel is moved by hydraulic cylinders powered by an engine-driven, hydraulic pump.

“As a unique aspect for the Volvo Ocean Race, there are high energy requirements to provide power to laptops, camera and other media equipment, enabling the sailing teams to communicate directly from out at sea to the rest of the world,” says Nick Bice, head of the boatyard for the Volvo Ocean Race.

Technical expertise
Hands-on technical expertise is available to the race organisation and sailing teams through Volvo Penta engineer, Johannes Karlsson.

Johannes will deliver full-time support for the duration of the event, travelling to each race stopover to deliver world class engine support through The Boatyard. He is backed by the expertise of Volvo Penta’s global dealer network, on call to support as needed.

Proud supplier
“Volvo Penta is proud supplier to the Volvo Ocean Race providing solutions from both our marine and industrial product portfolios,” says Björn Ingemanson, president of Volvo Penta. “We use existing, leading technology, available on the market today for our customers, depending on it to work in the toughest of environments – the world’s most extreme sailing competition.”

“The sailors are truly pushing new boundaries with the boats and all equipment onboard. We know that our customers are also interested in pushing boundaries in their respective industries. We learn from this experience to ensure the ultimate performance of our products in every day application.”