After months of strenuous preparation, thousands of miles sailed in training, the first offshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race gets underway on Sunday.
In a departure from the traditional long first leg down the Atlantic Ocean, this year the race starts with a (relative) sprint from Alicante, Spain, to Lisbon, Portugal. But don’t be lulled into thinking that short means easy. Remember that in the 2011-12 edition of the race, one boat dismasted and another almost sank whilst still in the Mediterranean, so teams will be taking this short leg very seriously.
Unlike the rest of the route which was set in stone more than a year ago, the final route for Leg 1 has just been announced, with Race Director Phil Lawrence selecting one of four options he had available to him. His decision means the boats will head to Lisbon via the Portuguese island Porto Santo in the Atlantic. Like all things in sailing, it was the weather that determined the route. Read more.
