Why is it Always Out with the Old?

As of late I’ve been reading a lot about the IMOCA and about their plans to create an even more stable class rule for their 60 footers to ensure that not nearly as many boats break. At the same time I’ve been hearing about the recent rule changes for the Volvo 70’s. The changes in this class are very minimal, in an effort to make this generation of boats competitive with new builds. This seems to me to be a no brainer and a must for the Volvo. In order to draw more sponsors and sailors into the Volvo boats need to be cheaper and easy to acquire, tweak and then sail. The recent surge by Delta Lloyd to the front of the Volvo fleet is proof that it CAN happen, and it certainly something that Volvo is taking note of. But will the big sponsors with the big money and the ability to make new builds always win out in the end?
Quite possibly, however, half the fun of the Vendee was that there were SO MANY boats to begin with, that it was easy to follow the middle of the pack, and there was of course the drama of boats breaking, but despite that, there was a story for everyone to see themselves in, we were able to relate to someone in this fleet on a very personal level, which is a huge part of this edition of the race being such a global success. Although I feel I’ve been able to watch the Volvo, I’m still not sure if I’ve been able to connect with it. Bring on more boats and more sailors, and a personal touch, and I think this problem is solved.