HYPR (ex Camper): A Volvo Ocean Race Legend Is Back on the Market — And the Timing Couldn't Be Better
Updated: Oct 11
HYPR (ex Camper): A Volvo Ocean Race Legend Is Back on the Market — And the Timing Couldn't Be Better
There's a reason the phones have been ringing about this one. HYPR — the Volvo Open 70 formerly known as Camper, the boat that finished runner-up in the 2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race — has just come out of the water in Vigo, Spain, and the interest so far tells us everything we need to know: this is one of the most capable offshore racing machines ever built, and it's ready for its next campaign.
A pedigree few boats can match
Built in 2011 by Cookson Boats in New Zealand and developed by the Emirates Team New Zealand design group in partnership with Botin Partners, Camper was campaigned by Emirates Team New Zealand under skipper Chris Nicholson through the 2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race, crossing the finish second overall behind Groupama 4. Along the way, the boat set a 24-hour monohull distance record of 565 nautical miles — a number that still turns heads. Few boats on the used market today carry that kind of race-proven resume.
Since then, she hasn't been sitting still. A complete performance refit in 2016 at Longitud Cero in Spain updated the canting keel system (extending draft to 5.2m), refreshed the ballast and rigging, and refined the deck hardware — transforming the boat into one of the most advanced iterations of the now-retired Volvo 70 rule, converted for competitive IRC racing. Renamed HYPR, she's continued to prove herself on the offshore circuit ever since.
Why now is the moment
HYPR is currently hauled out in Vigo, Spain, prepped for the winter and heading into a service period — and that's exactly what makes this the smartest window to act. With the boat out of the water, a prospective buyer can view and survey her properly, commission any maintenance, repaint, or upgrades they want done before splash, and hand the boat straight over ready for a new campaign. Instead of buying a boat and then waiting months for a haul-out slot to do the work you want, that work can happen now, on this yard period, before she goes back in the water.
For a raceboat at this level, that's a rare alignment of timing and opportunity.
The boat, in short
Volvo Open 70, built 2011, Cookson Boats (NZ)
Design: Emirates Team New Zealand / Botin Partners
2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race: 2nd overall (ex Camper)
Former 24-hour monohull distance record holder (565nm)
Fully refitted 2016, converted for IRC racing
Currently out of the water in Vigo, Spain
Ready to take a closer look?
The full listing — specs, photos, and pricing — is live now at 31northgroup.com/racing/volvo-70-hypr.
For viewings, survey access, or to talk through the boat in more detail, reach out to the brokerage team: Dave Swete and Niall Malone.
Boats with this kind of race history don't come up for sale often — and even less often with a full haul-out window to make them exactly what a new owner wants before the next start line.
