It's time to go back to Alicante

The 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race has just finished and one by one the teams that took part in it are slowly winding down. Today it was the turn of Telefonica's two boats, the Blue and the Black, to start their trip back home.

The two Spanish yachts set sail from the Russian city of St Petersburg this morning and headed towards Spain. Before reaching their base in Alicante they will make a number of stopovers in various Spanish ports for a series of marketing and hospitality events but also give the local crowds the opportunity to cheer for the team that achieved the best ever Spanish result in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Telefonica Blue and Black will first stop in Bilbao in 10 days and after rounding the Iberian peninsula they are expected to moor in their base on the 29th of July. Although there hasn't been any formal announcement yet, it is believed that Telefonica will most probably be one of the two Spanish entries in the 2011-12 edition of the round-the-world race.

The two Telefonica boats start their trip back home. St Petersburg, 30 June 2009. Photo copyright Maria Muiña / Equipo Telefonica