"Let's be honest, he saved the race." That was the blunt assessment of Ian Walker, the skipper of Abu Dhabi's Azzam, the winners of the last Volvo Ocean Race (VOR).
He was talking about Knut Frostad, the race chief executive, who stepped down from the position last week, a move that caught much of the sailing community by surprise.
Walker is not far wrong, either.
Spiralling costs and a downswing in the global economy did place the VOR in an existential crisis after the 2011/12 race. That could have been the last race, as Frostad was open enough to admit in an interview with The National before the 2014/15 edition. He sat down with sponsors alarmed by rising costs and decided the race had to go radical to survive. Pushing the idea of one-design boats through the race board was not easy, but he managed it and, in the process, revitalised the competition.
Convincing the VOR to build one-design boats and then finding teams – in that order – was a risk, but it worked. One design meant the cost of an entry was effectively halved.
Whether or not it was the primary motivation, in the process it made the race far more competitive and compelling. The true benefits of the switch, some believe, will be seen in the next race, when there may be greater participation than the seven boats of the last race.
Frostad has also transformed the way the wider world accesses the race.
The VOR is not spectator-friendly, and yet he ensured it reached out to more people than ever, primarily by designing boats around media and broadcast needs rather than the other way around.
Part of the reason for the surprise was because Frostad had become so embedded in the entire race experience, so central to it, that a race feels incomplete without him. He was not one of those chief executives who melt into the background. Instead, he was all over it, on call 24 hours a day, always on the move, always planning, always ready to react. Much like the race’s sailors during a leg, he could not switch off.
The work ethic and dedication to the race was unquestionable – as one official put it: “First into office and, very often, the last out.”
He was strong-headed too, not shy with his opinions. But that, as Walker implied, was a sign of – and the price of – the “passion, enthusiasm and vision” he brought to the race.
It also should not come as that much of a surprise.
In his resignation statement, he cited family reasons as the driving force. “I am an ‘all-or-nothing’ person and this is an ‘all-or-nothing’ race. I now want to dedicate more of my time to my young family,” Frostad said.
The rigours the race takes on each of its sailors is well-documented. At its core, it is a life-changing experience. Imagine what it takes out of the man responsible for running the entire race.
Frostad may not have been on any of the boats, but his work began well before the race did. During the nine months of the race, it is difficult to imagine him having a day off, or a prolonged run of days where he was in one country, let alone his adopted home in Alicante.
Before the last race began he said he could not think of anything more demanding than participating in the race – and he raced four times. On taking the role in 2007 – he presided over three races as chief executive – he soon discovered it was more difficult than just taking part.
Think about this: dealing with 10 different cities and countries, several sponsors, sourcing and putting teams together, and then having to account for Mother Nature being the venue for the race.
It is non-stop and it takes a toll, every bit as much as on a sailor.
He officially leaves at the end of the year, having left an indelible stamp on a race to which he has devoted half his life.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE