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Meet AZZAM: IWC's Volvo Ocean Race Vessel to Glory

Date — 17 October, 2011

Meet Azzam, the IWC Volvo Ocean Race’s team ticket to victory.
Our boat, designed by USA’s Farr Yacht Design and built by Persico S.p.A in Italy, is one of the most sophisticated boats ever constructed. It is the culmination of more than 7,000 design and 45,000 building hours. More than 20 people worked on Azzam’s design, considering more than 75 hull shapes, and over 100 drawings and models.

Azzam, the Arabic word for "determined" - symbolizes our sailors' state of mind at the start of this race

Azzam will be crewed by the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team, the most intercontinental team ever assembled for the Volvo Ocean Race. Meet the IWC’s Volvo Ocean Race Team >>

The boat boasts spectacular features, including:

a revolutionary ‘flush’ deck to prevent water retention, making the boat lighter
the absence of an actual cabin top – a first for round-the-world racing yachts. This ground breaking design feature lowers the center of gravity and reduces wind resistance, making it quicker
no side decks in the cockpit, meaning that all control lines instead run under the deck, arriving in what the crew call the ‘glove boxes’ either side of the companion way. This makes the boat safer, easier for crew to handle sails and reduces wind drag, with the added benefit of making Azzam faster
fuller bow,l which improves its high speed performance and makes Azzam the one to watch in breezy conditions

As Azzam departs from Alicante on its nine month journey, we can feel confident that it has every technical advantage to sail to glory.

Vital Stats:

70 feet long
5.7 meters wide
Draft: 4.5 meters
Displacement of 14,500KGS
Mast Height: 32 meters
8 Sails, by North Sails

Build the Boat in Timelapse

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