Yachting: Organisers got boat design 'totally wrong', says Field

Veteran Ross Field says he wouldn't be surprised if this is the last race in its current form.

Veteran ocean racer Ross Field believes round-the-world race organisers made a big mistake with the design of their boats and wouldn't be surprised if this is the last event.

In the first two legs of the Volvo Ocean Race the seven new-look boats have struggled in the brutal conditions.

So far five of the 70 foot entrants have had to stop and make repairs. Pirates of the Caribbean and movistar withdrew from the first leg with gear failure and Ericcsson was forced out after a hydraulic ram in the canting keel failed in the second leg.

The high attrition rate has some yachting fans calling for the race to be stopped and the boats' seaworthiness tested.

Field, who has competed in five round-the-world races, believes organisers got it wrong with the design.

After the 2001-02 race, competitors and organisers met to discuss a new yacht to replace the dated Volvo 60s.

He said most favoured upgrading to an Open 60, a slicker and more technologically advanced version of the Volvo 60 used in events such as the Vendee Globe and Transat Race.

"There are plenty of those boats around and we could have had a fleet of 15 to 20 boats. But Volvo in their wisdom chose to change the rules completely and went with these boats.

"I think they got it totally wrong. They weren't proven boats. They are at the cutting edge of technology, do you need that cutting edge of technology to run a successful professional event? I doubt it.

"The America's Cup is there for that, you need the numbers and high quality sailors competing in the event.

"It is not even a decent competition at the moment, there are four boats out there racing, you can't count the Australian boat."

He said he was surprised at the amount of damage sustained so far. "There is concern out there not only among the general public but also the Volvo organisation and among the competitors.

"It does seem ridiculous to me that these boats are all falling apart. Whether these guys were late getting their money or Volvo were late funding boats, I don't know but obviously they haven't been tested on the race track before."

As a result Field thinks this will be the last race in its current form.

"I think Volvo might pull the pin, there are other competitions out there that sailors can get a high level of competition in and there are other global events that are happening. It will be a very sad thing to happen but I think it probably will."

Last night New Zealander Mike Sanderson, skipper of ABN Amro One, defended the yachts.

"The fact that we are having such a high attrition rate is only the fault of the teams and designers. The breakages are all from weight reduction decisions that have been made by either the design team or the racing team and we all knew the whole time that we needed a big bulb on the keel to win the race.

"We also knew that we needed to finish the legs to win the race and it will be he who has walked that fine line correctly at the end of the day that will come out on top and we won't know who that is for another seven months yet."

Last night Sanderson's team held a 249 nautical mile lead over sister ship ABN Amro Two.