The VELUX 5 OCEANS race is shaping up to be the most successful for a decade. The organisers have already received nine entry forms and deposits from skippers across seven nations, a year before the start.

This winter will see major preparations as the contestants ready themselves for their great adventure, a solo circumnavigation of the world south of the three great Capes, which has only been achieved by 173 people in history. There is 500,000 in prizemoney, the highest offered in offshore racing, so the smallest mistake, whether a navigational error or a vital piece of equipment failing, can be very costly. With stops in Cape Town, Wellington, Salvador (Brazil) and Charleston, the sailors know that their ocean crossings have to be treated as sprints. But those oceans can be treacherous and unforgiving, and nothing can be left to chance.

Speaking as Race Chairman, legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston concluded, “The VELUX 5 OCEANS looks set to be one of the biggest races in our twenty seven year history and we are in a strong position with one year to race start. We now have to take the VELUX 5 OCEANS forward as we countdown to the starting gun, and we expect to make a number of announcements over the coming weeks and months regarding our skippers, the Eco 60 Class, more details on our skipper support package and a number of activities built around the core value of sustainability shared by a number of our partners.”

Sustainability is the core value of the VELUX group going forward. Not only do the VELUX products seek to educate and encourage sustainable living in our homes, the VELUX group has committed to reduce their corporate carbon footprint by 50% by 2020, an ambitious and praiseworthy goal. This shared value of sustainability will be developed over the coming months by the race management, and a complete package of activities and initiatives will be announced, encompassing the race organisation, the participating skippers, the Eco 60 Class concept and rules, the onshore activities in stopovers and the worldwide audience following the race online and in the media.

For the festive weekend of the race start, the VELUX Group will showcase a zero energy concept house and have the prize ceremony of the International VELUX Award for students of architecture, with a focus on sustainable living.

“We are very pleased to see sustainability being part of the race as the VELUX Group is committed to this agenda. We strongly promote the principles of Active House – buildings do not have to be energy consuming at all, they can be energy producing – and internally we have set a goal of reducing our CO2 emission by 50% in 2020,” says Chief Marketing Officer, Michael Rasmussen, the VELUX Group.