The journey began in 2013 with a plan to secure two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race for 2014-15 and 2017-18, in order to catalyse various industry sectors linked to Ocean Racing as a platform. WorldSport put forward a successful bid and Cape Town secured the two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race Cape Town stopover.

The success of the collective public-private partnership between the V&A Waterfront as guarantors, WorldSport as stopover commercial and delivery partner, and the City of Cape Town as a sponsor, marked the beginning of long-term investment into the South African Marine Leisure, Recreation and Tourism sectors.

Aligned to the Volvo Ocean Race Sustainability mandate, it was of paramount importance that the V&A Waterfront and WorldSport create content and platforms that engaged with the public, government and business that brought more awareness to sustainable water conservation and ocean health.

The Volvo Ocean Race Cape Town Stopover set the tone by creating ocean-focused content and platforms like the V&A Waterfront Ocean Life Festival, and by hosting sustainability conferences like the first-ever Regional Ocean Governance Conference which was held in Cape Town in collaboration with the UNDP, UNESCO.  By partnering with key stakeholders, Consol Glass and the Bluewater Group, the Cape Town Stopover successfully implemented operational efficiencies that reduced overall water consumption, thereby reducing our footprint, and positively affecting the event’s bottom line.