By JULIE ASH
Bigger boats and fewer stop-overs are among the changes planned for the next round-the-world race, which is scheduled to start in November 2005.
Volvo Ocean Race chief executive Glenn Bourke was in Auckland last night to announce the changes which he said aimed to "find the most consummate
all-round ocean-racing team the world has ever seen".
The Ocean Race 60 class has been scrapped in favour of a bigger, 20m monohull race-boat.
Crew numbers will be reduced and women will be encouraged by new crew limits.
An all-male crew will be limited to nine, a mixed crew, with at least five women, will be increased to 10 and an all-female team may have up to 11 sailors.
To ensure the best conditions in the Southern Ocean, the event will start in early November 2005 from the Mediterranean and the race will be shortened to finish within eight months.
The race will have stopovers in Cape Town, Australasia, Rio de Janeiro, Baltimore and Annapolis, in the United States, Southampton, Goteborg in Sweden and finish at a Baltic port.
It is understood there is only one stopover in Australasia planned, and whether the fleet stop in New Zealand or Australia may depend on whether Team New Zealand are the holders of the America's Cup.
If they are, and the cup regatta is held at the same time, Auckland may miss out.
However, Auckland may win a place as a shorter pit stop.
Another new feature of the 2005-06 event will be the inclusion of six in-port races, with points counting towards the overall result.
Seasoned round-the-world sailor Grant Dalton said: "It is up to people now, like me, and others who have done this before and those that want to get into it ... to go out and raise the money.
"We've been given the tools and we've been given the right event to raise the money, so we can be on the start line."
