Competition Winners Experience VOR Finale with International Paint
The 28th of June saw the thrilling conclusion of the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race, with the teams having travelled over 45,000 nautical miles around the world. The race began in Alicante and finished in The Hague, where crowds gathered in the final race village to witness the end of the race (which was also a homecoming for the two Dutch teams – team AkzoNobel and Team Brunel).
This inspiring finale made for the perfect backdrop as we welcomed Nuno Rolo, winner of the International Yacht Paint competition, into the race village along with his excited family. As competition winners, they experienced a weekend of exclusive tours and activities at the centre of the race village, including pro-am races aboard both M32 catamarans and the VO65 race boats themselves. On Saturday the 30th, the family watched the final in-port race as VIP spectators aboard the iconic Stad Amsterdam, witnessing Team Turn the Tide On Plastic steal the victory to break the tie in the overall standings for 6th place.
“The race village was a truly unique and memorable experience,” Nuno told us. “When I entered the competition, I didn’t know much about AkzoNobel and International outside the context of the race, but they made such an enjoyable weekend for me and family, and I learned a lot about their products and the vital role they play in the race.”
“It was also incredible to get so close to the sailors from team AkzoNobel and the rest of the fleet. They’re the true heroes of the race, and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to see them in person. It was great to explore the Hague as well and watch the in-port race with such a great vantage point, but for me the big highlight was definitely the pro-am race with Simeon Tienpont.”
The evening of the 30th saw the award ceremony, with Dongfeng Race Team accepting first place. It was an inspiring victory, set against the background of outstanding achievements from the other teams, such as the last-minute tie-break from Team Turn the Tide on Plastic new 24 hour speed record set by team AkzoNobel. International is proud to have supported such a momentous event, and to have given race fans the chance to get right into the heart of the action.