Volvo Ocean Race

IWC Schaffhausen Speed Record Challenge

Watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen is Official Timekeeper of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012 and sponsors the 24-hour Speed Record Challenge.
- The team that covers the greatest distance within a period of 24 hours in each leg is awarded the trophy.
- The team that achieves the overall fastest time over the entire 8 months of the race will be awarded a Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012” for each of the 11 members of the winning crew.

In 2009 Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael, set the current world monohull 24-hour distance speed record completing 596.6 nautical miles in 24 hours.

Leg 1 winner: CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, 553 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 2 winner: Groupama sailing team, 478 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 3 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 358 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 4 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 528 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 5 winner: CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, 528 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 6 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 511 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 7 winner: Groupama sailing team, 538 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 8 winner: CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, 566 nautical miles in 24h
Leg 9 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 390 nautical miles in 24h

Abu Dhabi Seamanship Award

Abu Dhabi is honouring sailors and teams who demonstrate unbelievable outstanding acts of bravery and valour throughout the Volvo Ocean Race.
 
Inscribed with the words, ‘Recognising courage, bravery and fortitude; Abu Dhabi at one with the sea and sailors,’ the award represents the emirate’s heroic mariners of the past who often risked life at sea for months to bring home rich pearling harvests, fish catches or trade from India and Africa.
 
After each leg, a skipper may nominate their own crew for the award. The recipient is then decided by the Race Director, Jack Lloyd and CEO, Knut Frostad in consultation with award patron and Official Partner of the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.

Leg 1 Winner: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
In recognition of the skills the team displayed after their yacht ‘Azzam’ suffered a broken mast on the first night into the race.

Leg 2 Winners: Richard Mason and Jared Henderson, Team Sanya
For the resourceful action of this duo to save Sanya’s mast from serious damage after a key piece of rigging failed during the first stage of the leg.
 
Leg 3: Not awarded.

Leg 4 winner: Groupama sailing team
In recognition of the way the team dealt with a crack in the bow of their boat. In the final stretch of Leg 4 the crew found more than a tonne of water in the bow section but were able to pump the water out and take the leg win.

Leg 5 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
With five of the six boats stopping for repairs on leg 5, the jury decided to reward the superb sailing of PUMA, who managed to make it through to the finish line and win the leg without stopping for repairs despite injuries to crew members Casey Smith and Thomas Johanson.

Leg 6 winner: Not awarded.

Leg 7 winner: Jonathon Swain, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
In recognition of his work in treating injuries to his fellow crew mates on Leg 7 and at previous times during the race. in addition to his sailing duties on leg 7, he dealt with MCM Amory Ross’ dislocated shoulder and watch captain Tony Mutter’s severely sprained ankle.

Leg 8 winner: Brad Marsh, Groupama sailing team
Awarded for climbing the mast three times to effect repairs in wild and windy conditions, acts that effectively won the leg for the French team.

Leg 9 winner: Not awarded.

DHL Shore Crew Award

This new award honours the ‘unsung heroes’ behind the Volvo Ocean Race – the boat builders, sail makers, PR teams and so many more – who help make the race happen and enable the teams to compete successfully. The crucial characteristics of an award-winning shore crew embody DHL’s core success factors of speed and efficiency, teamwork and delivering excellence reliably every time.

Each leg, every shore crew is evaluated by a special panel of judges who assess the teams’ performances based on a set of criteria. There is an award for each leg and points accumulate during the race, culminating in an overall winner at the end of the race in Galway.

Leg 1 winner: Team Sanya
For outstanding accomplishment in repairing a badly delaminated bow in two days, a record time given the extent of the damage, allowing their team to compete in the In-Port Race and take part in Leg 2.

Leg 2 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
Recognising the remarkable come back from the team who lost their mast during Leg 1, repairing and readying the boat overnight in Cape Town to finish Leg 2 in third position. Particular mention of the PR and communication team’s initiative to flew in a team of bloggers to cover the Abu Dhabi stopover.

Leg 3 winner: PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
All shore crews in the Maldives combined together seamlessly to ensure a very slick unloading process for Leg 3 but PUMA's shore crew manager Tim Hacket led a superb team effort, particularly impressing the panel with the way they helped other teams as well as Race officials. Special mention is made of Felix Schliebitz's liaison efforts and the team's innovative PR operation.

Leg 4 winner: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
Recognising the team’s professionalism and attitude after Azzam ran aground just before the Sanya Haitang Bay In-Port Race and Leg 4 start.

Leg 5 winner: Groupama sailing team
After a broken mast ended their hopes of a second successive leg victory, shore team manager Ben Wright led the operation to construct a maekshift solution in Uruguay. DHL then shipped a replacement mast to Itajaí to enable the team to prepare properly for Saturday's DHL In-Port Race and the Leg 6 start the following day.

Leg 6 winner: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
Recognised for their shore team’s effort in shipping and fixing their broken yacht Azzam in time for the start of Leg 6.

Leg 7 winner: CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand
In recognition of the work carried out in the run up to the start of Leg 7.

Leg 8 winner: Team Sanya
Recognised for the outstanding work the small shore crew carried out in Lorient.

Leg 9 winner: Not awarded.

Inmarsat Media Crew Member Award

Inmarsat's satellite technology is a key enabler for all aspects of the 2011-12 race - for position reporting, sending live video footage or photos of on-board action to the world's media. Sponsoring the MCM award is thus a natural match for Inmarsat, Race Partner and official satellite communications provider.

A panel of judges from the Volvo Ocean Race and Inmarsat’s vice-president for external affairs, Chris McLaughlin, selects the winning MCM from a shortlist of three. Inmarsat rewards the winning Media Crew Member of each leg with €1,000 and a €10,000 prize for the best overall contribution to race coverage.

Leg 1 winner: Hamish Hooper, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand
The award recognises Hooper’s “all-round delivery of consistently compelling content in written, stills pictures and video media over the course of the leg.”

Leg 2 winner: Yann Riou, Groupama sailing team
The award recognises Yann’s high quality and quantity of work, consistently handled in a very efficient and professional manner.

Leg 3 winner: Amory Ross, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
A keen eye for a story and mastery of composition have garnered this award for Amory, acknowledging his talent and accomplished visual aesthetic across all the media - video, stills, and text.

Leg 4 winner: Yann Riou, Groupama sailing team
A second win for the Frenchman in recognition of his media work on this leg, in particular his stunning coverage of an on board drama when the Groupama crew discovered a leak in the bow 100 miles from the finish in Auckland.

Leg 5 winner: Hamish Hooper, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand
A second win for Hooper in recognition of his consistent media work on leg 5 from start to finish, "for 30 days straight he has delivered content of the very highest quality".

Leg 6 winner: Amory Ross, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
A second win for Ross in recognition of his cross media coverage of the 3,500 nautical mile race from Itajaí to Miami that captivated the audience.

Leg 7 winner: Nick Dana, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
The fist win for Dana in recognition of his top-notch multimedia coverage of Abu Dhabi’s first leg win – including live video of the moment they crossed the Leg 7 finish line.

Leg 8 winner: Hamish Hooper, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand
A third win for Hooper in recognition of his outstanding overall multimedia output during a stormy Leg 8 and in particular some breath taking footage of skipper Chris Nicholson being washed from the wheel by a wall of water.

Leg 9 winner: Yann Riou, Groupama sailing team
A third win for Riou in recognition of his work in pushing out a number of live calls throughout the race, Yann facilitated out more live calls than any other MCM and helped tell the story to the world.