Welsh yacht builder Swallow Yachts will showcase their new, innovative trailerable sailing cruiser when the world’s toughest and most prestigious sailing event, the Volvo Ocean Race arrives in Cardiff on Sunday May 27 for a 14 day stopover.
The design of the new COAST 250 (Combined Outboard And Sail Technology) combines Cardigan-based Swallow Yachts’ customary outstanding sailing performance with stable, high speed performance under power, enabling sailors to extend their time on the water, or return rapidly to port in the event of bad weather.
Initial trials of the boat will be carried out this month, so that it is ready to showcase at the Volvo Ocean Race Village in May/June, when visitors from across the world will descend on the Welsh capital as the fleet arrives following its 2,900 nautical mile voyage across the Atlantic from Newport, Rhode Island.
Matt Newland, Swallow’s Managing Director said:
“We’ve managed to achieve something special through a mix of novel hull design and development using computational fluid dynamics, innovative powertrain layout and the integration and development of adaptive technologies into the cruising hull. It’s so exciting to have the opportunity to showcase the new cruiser to an international audience in our own country when the global Volvo Ocean Race comes to town.”
This much sought after Atlantic stopover enhances Cardiff’s reputation as a maritime city across the world as this is the first UK visit in 12 years for a race that started life in 1973. It will bring a significant financial boost to the Welsh economy in the Visit Wales designated ‘Year of the Sea’.
The 45,000 nautical mile Volvo Ocean Race set out from Alicante last October, journeying across the great oceans with stopovers in some of the most famous maritime destinations such as Hong Kong, Cape Town and Auckland. When it leaves Cardiff on June 10, it moves on to Gothenburg and The Hague for its finale at the end of June.
While the fleet is in Cardiff, the Race Village will be a huge visitor attraction, with visitors from around the globe enjoying the Volvo Ocean Race cinema, trade stalls and live music on the waterfront. The festival will have a Welsh flavour, with Welsh producers offering locally-sourced food and drink – from bars offering real ale to the most popular street food vendors. The Race Village also hosts a global Ocean Summit business event, attracting high calibre speakers on the issue of clean seas, a key campaign focus of the Volvo Ocean Race, and enabling Wales to show off our sustainability credentials.
Swallow Yachts produce a range of dayboats that combine classic looks with very modern performance. Based in Cardigan, they have shipped boats all over the world and offer a comprehensive shipping service. In addition to production boats, the company also offers more bespoke craft.
This new boat project is being supported by Welsh Government through the ERDF funded SMARTCymru and SMARTInnovation programmes.
Find out what’s on at the Volvo Ocean Race – Volvooceanracecardiff.com
