Valencia Sailing goes to Alicante

Greetings from sunny but cold Valencia. There might be fewer updates this morning as I'm going to Alicante in order to assist to the first two days of the 4-day conference the Volvo Ocean Race organizers are holding in their brand new headquarters.

It will be a great opportunity to meet and talk to the VOR organization (obviously) but also to delegates from the 10 stopover ports, six sailing teams and the partners and sponsors of the race.

Stay tuned for reports, updates and interviews on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. Rest assured, I will grill as many people as I can.

Volvo Ocean Race to hold their first conference of current edition

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Delegates from the 10 stopover ports, six sailing teams and the partners and sponsors of the race will be in Alicante this week for the first Volvo Ocean Race Conference for the 2011-12 edition, from 16-19 November.

The highlight of the week will be the unveiling of the new Volvo Ocean Race trophy on 16 November in Race Headquarters. Local dignitaries will join conference delegates to see the newly designed trophy, the result of a highly contested bidding process.

The event is an opportunity for the ports, teams and the Volvo Ocean Race team to share their knowledge and ambitions.

Team representatives from the media, logistics and shore management areas will discuss their strategic planning for the race in group sessions with the race organisers. There also will be separate workshop days for specific discussions with the ports and teams.

Race suppliers, sponsors, and partners will present to the teams and ports explaining how they can work together, and representatives from AB Volvo and Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Group in Brazil and the USA will also attend.

"We are looking forward to gathering all the stakeholders in the next Volvo Ocean Race together earlier than ever before," says Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race. "We are a year out from the start and by discussing and learning from one another we can build and shape the best event yet. And on top of the conference we are excited to show our guests and the world the new Volvo Ocean Race Trophy."

Government and host city organisation representatives from all 10 countries will attend to discuss the production of a world-class event in each of their host ports. This includes the stopover managers, who are responsible for creating the whole extravaganza whilst the Volvo Open 70 fleet is in the port, from the race village entertainment through to the safety boats on the water.

To help in this process there will be a panel discussion between three past stopover managers: Nicolas Figueras from the Generalitat Valenciana (GVA, Alicante), Bruce Parker-Forsyth (World Sport, Cape Town) and Maria Moynihan-Lee (Galway). They will share their different ambitions and expectations and give some invaluable advice on how to manage a stopover.

A daily average of 24,399 spectators visit the race village in each stopover during the race. Such a busy event takes a large amount of organisation and it is vital that all the activities are developed in a safe environment.

The ports, teams and the Volvo Ocean Race team will be collaborating throughout the week to guarantee the delivery of a premier and unforgettable racing event.

Video: Groupama 70 arrives in Alicante

If you ever had the slightest doubt Groupama was the favorite team to win the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race just watch the video, even if it's in French. While Franck Cammas is in Saint Malo, getting ready for the start of the Route du Rhum - La Banque Postale onboard Groupama 3, the team's VO70 yacht arrived in Alicante on Sunday.

The 11 crew, including a media crew member and a journalist, left their home base in Lorient last Monday afternoon. The trip took six days due to the weather conditions along the Portuguese coast and the yacht finally reached the Spanish port on Sunday morning. As one would have expected, the purpose of the trip was to train and try the boat but not only! According to navigator Jean-Luc Nélias, the shore crew was also rehearsing for the round-the-world race, as they need to "practice the logistics and technical part of the team as well as the planning and procedures with the crew and shore team", because they "don't have everything under control yet."!!

With only four entries officially announced so far, the French team is certainly ahead in terms of preparation and according to Nélias, "one month from now we will be focusing on our new boat for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race and on the Groupama 70 project." The Groupama team will return to Alicante in mid-November and then on to Puerto Calero to continue with their preparations, just like Ericsson did 2 years ago.

Groupama 70

Volvo Ocean Race inaugurates brand new HQ in Alicante

A brand new era started yesterday with the official inauguration of the Volvo Ocean Race headquarters. Although it was a purely symbolic act, the premiere round-the-world race now has a new "home" at the Spanish city, and what a spectacular home it is. I had already been there a few times since 2008 but I have to admit the change has been radical in the last 12 months, transforming a temporary infrastructure into a fully-fledged office building that will house the headquarters of the event for nearly 10 years.

This being a sailing and not an architectural website, the building itself, a typical open-space structure, wouldn't be of great interest if it weren't for the Star Trek-like command center of the race or what is officially called the "Volvo Ocean Race Control Room". It's the neural center of the race, equipped with 8 workstations, one overview station situated in the center of the room and a giant screen wall. Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, took great pride in this state-of-the-art control room in his (long..) talk during the official presentation but with good reason. Not only is ALL information about the race available in that room, VIP's and guests will have the opportunity to be the closest possible to the actual race, without getting wet.

Yet, the room will not be accessible by just a privileged few. In fact, it is separated from the rest of the building by glass walls. On one side, the media team will have a real-time view of the race and on the opposite side, the general public visiting the VOR museum will also be able to look through the glass and see what is taking place inside the bridge of "Starship Enterprise". The museum is still under construction but the official opening is scheduled in a few months.

The 8 workstations are interchangeable and all of them can carry out any operation regarding the race. The station in the center of the room will allow Knut Frostad, CEO, and Jack Lloyd, Race Director, to have a quick overall view of the race. Finally, the screen wall will display the main data and images from onboard the yachts. In fact, through the control room, race operations have access to nearly real-time data coming from the boats, such as position, speed, heading, and will be able to know, for example, that a yacht stopped even before the crew sends them an email.

Who better to guide us through the control room than Rick Deppe, Associate Producer and Media Crew Member (MCM) Manager? Rick was the MCM onboard Puma in the 2008-9 race and thanks to his outstanding coverage he set the standard on onboard reporting. I guess there is no mystery why the race organizers snapped him for this race.

Rick Deppe walks us through the Volvo Ocean Race Control Room. Alicante, 15 September 2010. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Partial view of the "Volvo Ocean Race Control Room". The data and images on the screen are, obviously, from the previous race but the countdown clock is real. A little more than 400 days are left until the start of the 2011-12 race. Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Partial view of the "Volvo Ocean Race Control Room". Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Partial view of the "Volvo Ocean Race Control Room". Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Partial view of the "Volvo Ocean Race Control Room". Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Communication & Marketing area with the Control Room visible at the background. The blue ticker around the wall will provide real-time information during the race. Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Wall decoration is actually graffiti. Since the offices were used during the day, local graffiti artists had to come every night and spray the walls. Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Part of the Finance & Administration department. Alicante, 15 September 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Volvo Ocean Race moves to Alicante

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The Volvo Ocean Race is to move its headquarters from the south coast of England to Alicante, Spain. The Mediterranean city will become both the start port and the home of the race for the next three editions.

The announcement was made at a press conference today in Boston after the signing of an agreement between the Volvo Ocean Race and the Spanish regional government of Valencia.

“This is a great moment for the Volvo Ocean Race,” Knut Frostad, the race CEO said in revealing details of the alliance. “One of our goals, as we’ve looked ahead to the next race, has been to establish long-term relationships with our stopover ports, and, for economic reasons, to base our headquarters in one of the stopover ports. But this only makes sense when both parties can make a long-term commitment. And that’s the partnership we are announcing today with Alicante.

Signed, sealed, delivered. Alicante becomes the center of the Volvo Ocean Race for the next three editions. Francisco Camps, President Region Valencia, with Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO. Boston, 7 May 2009. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

“Spain has played a significant part in recent editions of the race. Spanish sailors outnumber all other nations in the current competition and Spain has shown consistently that it understands event culture, and how to organise sporting competition.”

Francisco Camps, President of the Region of Valencia said: “The impact of hosting the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante last October was very positive for the city, the region and all of Spain. Today’s agreement means Spain will build on its status as a centre of excellence for sailing for years to come.”

Volvo Ocean Race headquarters, which has been in Hampshire, England since 1998, will begin the process of moving to Alicante following the conclusion of the current competition at the end of June. The Volvo Ocean Race will be based in Spain by the end of this year, where its headquarters will remain for the next three editions of the race.

“There are many other elements to the partnership with Alicante,” Frostad said. “These include initiatives to ensure the participation of at least two separate Spanish teams in each of the next three races.”

The agreement will also see the construction of a race museum and interactive exhibition that celebrates the 36-year history and heritage of the race. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2010.

“The museum and interactive exhibition is very important for us,” Frostad added. “This race has a long and storied history. The museum and interactive exhibition will celebrate that heritage and provide a link between our future in Alicante and our past racing around the world.”

In addition, the port of Alicante has agreed to make itself available as a home to any of the teams in the current race after the finish in St. Petersburg at the end of June.

The announcement of the start port is separate from the bidding process which was recently initiated for international stopover ports for the next edition of the race. That process will finish by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

In October, before the start of this race, it was confirmed that Volvo would maintain its support for the race. At the previous stopover last month, in Rio de Janeiro, Knut Frostad held the first of a series of ‘roundtable’ sessions where details of the next edition of the race and the results of this consultation process are revealed. The next session is scheduled for Sunday in Boston, when more of the proposed rule changes will be explained.

Volvo Ocean Race to start from Alicante in three next editions

If one is to believe Valencia's leading newspaper, Las Provincias, the Volvo Ocean Race will start from Alicante again, not once, not twice but three times. According to an article that appears in today's edition, the president of Valencia's Region, Francisco Camps, will fly to Boston this weekend in order to sign the final agreement with the round-the-world race organization, as announced by the president`s press office.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet is currently in Boston, having finished the sixth leg of the race and the in-port race will take place on Saturday.

According to the same article, the next edition of the race will be in 2011 and the following ones in 2014 and 2017. Although the route of the next edition hasn't still been finalized, one thing is for sure, it will again start in Alicante. The intention of the organizers is to announce the final route sometime in the first quarter of 2010.

One point that is still not clear concerns the move of Volvo Event Management UK (VEMUK) from England to Alicante. VEMUK is the body that organizes the race and it's Valencia's intention to convince them that it would make sense to also establish their offices in Alicante for the next 9 years.

Video footage from the VOR start in Alicante

The Telefonica Team has published a 5-minute video from today's race start in Alicante that gives a good idea of the tough conditions that prevail throughout most of the southern part of the Iberian peninsula, from Valencia all the way down to Gibraltar. According to the local unscientific TV weather forecast, crews should expect up to 60 knots of breeze in the Strait.

The video is obviously biased towards the two local Spanish boats.

Ericsson 4 leads Volvo fleet in tough conditions

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The long-awaited start day of leg one of the 10th running of the Volvo Ocean race dawned grey and very windy in Alicante, just as the forecasters had predicted, but it did not dampen the spirits of the 88 sailors who have been anxious to get this 6,500 nautical mile to Cape Town underway.

Nor did it dampen the spirits of His Majesty King Juan Carlos 1 of Spain and his two daughters. The Infanta Doña Elena left the dock with her father onboard Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) and the Infanta Doña Cristina was onboard Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP). The royal party was then transferred by RIB to the Spanish Navy frigate Principe de Asturias where they joined Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad, to watch the start.

The Bishop of Alicante-Orihuela blessed the fleet in traditional fashion before, one by one, the crews threw off their lines, waved to the huge crowd lining the harbour and departed the basin which has been their home for the past few weeks, to the sound of their team music. Fireworks exploded over the race village, while overhead Spain’s Blue Arrows aerobatic team gave a breath-taking display. Over 900,000 visitors have visited the race village since it opened on 19 September.

Start of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 11 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

Out on the race track, conditions were wild. A strong north-easterly breeze of 25 – 30 knots meant a windy start for the fleet which had to sail a short lap of the Bay of Alicante before heading back round a turning mark and out to sea. A simple breakage today could be very costly. Race winner in 1997-98 and second in 2005-06, American skipper Paul Cayard once said, “You can’t win the Volvo Ocean Race on the first night, but you can certainly lose it,” and these wise words were echoing in the minds of the eight skippers as they jostled for position on the start line.

Waves were breaking over the boats as the teams held them into the wind to hoist their reefed mainsails. Most opted for small headsails, although Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) chose a large masthead genoa.

As the start gun fired from the Spanish frigate, the fleet split, and it was Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) who rounded the windward mark ahead of PUMA (Ken Read/USA) and Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander SWE) in a surprise third place.

Further down the fleet, the two Spanish boats, Telefónica Black and Telefónica Blue rounded the weather mark fourth and fifth followed by Team Russia. Green Dragon, who had struggled to sail as high as the rest of the fleet with their large genoa, were seventh, and Delta Lloyd (Ger O’Rourke/IRL) completed the fleet in eighth place.

The power was on as the fleet hoisted spinnakers and smoked down the leeward leg towards the final turning mark. Torben Grael kept his pole position and led the fleet as they began their sleigh ride towards Gibraltar. PUMA maintained second place, while Telefónica Blue moved up to third and Ericsson 3 dropped to fourth. Telefónica Black slipped to fifth place and Green Dragon moved up to sixth. In seventh and eighth places, as the fleet headed off on this 6,500 nautical mile leg to Cape Town, were Delta Lloyd and Team Russia.

Start of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 11 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

Weather with Jennifer Lilly, Volvo Ocean Race Weather Forecaster
Throughout today there will be a north-easterly breeze of around 20 knots. After the start, the wind speeds will average in the low 20s with possible gusts over 30 knots. The direction will generally be north-easterly, but there may be right shifts which could go as far as easterly by the end of the day.

Even more significant than the wind will be the seas. The sailors can expect swells to nearly three metres with additional wind-driven chop on top.

Both the winds and the seas are expected to decrease as the fleet heads south-west towards the Straits of Gibraltar. The question is just how quickly the conditions will calm down. For now it looks like about 12 good hours of fast sailing before things start to slow down. However, before anyone reaches the Straits of Gibraltar, the wind speeds are expected to drop below five knots.

Start of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. Alicante, 11 October 2008. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

VOR Jury will not re-open case for Ericsson 3

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The International Jury has ruled that it will not re-open the case involving the keel fin of Ericsson 3.

In a statement, Ericsson Racing Team, said that they were informed of the Jury’s decision last night (10 October) at 6:30 pm, 20 hours before the start of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race.

The statement went on: “This follows a request from the team to re-open the case due to significant errors during the hearing that followed the Rules Management Group (RMG) ruling on Sept. 23.The Organizing Authority (OA) then applied to the International Jury for permission to allow Ericsson 3 to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race by invoking Amendment 9 of the Notice of Race.

“The Organizing Authority, the RMG, the International Jury, and ERT have all agreed that Ericsson 3 is a valid entry in the race and does not have any performance advantage. The International Jury ruled on 28th September that Ericsson 3 would be subject to a point score penalty for every in port race, every scoring gate and every offshore leg.

"We very much hoped that the International Jury would re-open the case. This could have allowed us to present our evidence and have a oral hearing, rather than one by e-mail," said Richard Brisius, Managing Director, Ericsson Racing Team. "This is obviously disappointing for Ericsson Racing Team, and in particular to the crew of Ericsson 3. We are now going to put this to one side and get on with racing."

"We came here to race against the other teams, and with a 4-point penalty by the time we get to Cape Town, we're going to have to work even harder," said Ericsson 3 skipper Anders Lewander. "Despite this blow, we are looking forward to racing and competing on an equal level with the other teams in the race."

Ericsson have confirmed that they currently have a new keel in construction in Italy and the team are striving to ensure that this is ready in time for the departure from Cape Town to Cochin, India.

Last night's preliminary response email from the International Jury will be followed by a full decision in one to two days’ time.

Telefonica Blue wins first in-port race in Alicante

Telefonica Blue won the first race of the day, after dominating it from the start. Unlike what was forecast yesterday, Saturday's conditions were dominated by light and shifty winds, up to 40 degrees at times, that, unfortunately didn't allow the hundreds of spectator boats to truly appreciate the powerful Volvo Open 70 yachts. The race committee had to wait around 15 minutes for the breeze to settle down before firing the starting gun.

The yacht skippered by Bouwe Bekking didn't encounter any problems in establishing and keeping a lead but the true fight was taking place for 2nd and 3rd place, between their sistership Telefonica Black and Green Dragon. The Spanish and Chino-Irish boats were alternating positions until the last weather mark. Telefonica, with a first and a second, couldn't have asked for a better beginning of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The two Ericsson boats were a disappointment, especially Ericsson 4, the boat helmed by Torben Grael. Although it did recover and climbed positions, Grael had a very bad start by being late and getting squeezed on the committee boat end of the line.

Start of the 1st race. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Start of the 1st race. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Telefonica Blue leads at the approach to the 1st weather mark. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Green Dragon rounds the weather mark second. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Telefonica Black starts the 1st run in third place. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Preparing to hoist the spinnaker on Ericsson 4 at the weather mark. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The VOR70 fleet in the second run. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Team Russia at the weather mark. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Telefonica Blue crosses the middle gate comfortably ahead of the fleet in the second beat. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Telefonica Black and Green Dragon approaching the 2nd weather mark. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Ericsson 4 readying to hoist the spinnaker at the 2nd weather mark. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The leaders of the race in last run. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Puma approaching the 2nd weather mark. Alicante, 4 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia Sailing goes to Alicante

Valencia Sailing returns to Alicante for the VOR inport race on Saturday. There will probably be no updates today Friday but, obviously, a full report and dozens of hi-res photos on Saturday.

Putting the final touches on the boats a few hours before the start of th in-port race. Alicante, 3 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Putting the final touches on the boats a few hours before the start of th in-port race. Alicante, 3 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Putting the final touches on the boats a few hours before the start of th in-port race. Alicante, 3 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Putting the final touches on the boats a few hours before the start of th in-port race. Alicante, 3 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Penalty imposed on Ericsson 3

Related PDF documents

International Jury Decision on Ericsson 3's keel

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Ericsson 3 was today handed a scoring penalty by the International Jury for failure to comply with the Volvo Open 70 measurement rule relating to their keel.

The decision was taken after the race Organising Authority applied to the Jury for dispensation to allow Ericsson 3 to race without having been issued a measurement certificate.

Anders Lewander and his crew will be eligible to compete without that certificate but the penalty will be a one point deduction for each in-port race day, one point for each scoring waypoint and two points for each offshore leg.

The penalty will apply as long as Ericsson 3 continues to use their existing non-compliant keel. Ericsson 3’s score shall not be less than 0 points in each instance.

At issue are several cavities in the keel, which have been filled with steel rods in an effort to comply with the measurement definition of ‘solid’. Despite attempting to completely fill the cavities with a series of steel rods, some voids remain.

The total weight this represents is 0.625 kilograms. The measurers have proposed that Ericsson 3 be fitted with an equivalent corrector weight to ensure that no advantage is gained.

Reading from the written Jury decision, Bryan Willis, Chairman of the International Jury, said: “At a meeting on 28th April, ERT proposed a solution involving freezing sections of steel rod the same diameter as the bored holes and inserting them into the cavities.

“…(But) the freezing process was not used; instead, without prior approval of the RMG, rods with diameters lesser than that the voids were inserted and welded in place. The Chief Measurer observed the modification process and advised ERT representatives that the keel was still not solid and therefore in his opinion did not comply with the Rule.

“In the latter part of August 2008, ERT accepted that it would not be possible to carry out a procedure which would completely fill the holes and satisfy the requirement of the rule.

“The Jury is satisfied that, for a period of time, it was not unreasonable for ERT to hold the opinion that it might be possible to completely fill the holes and thereby become compliant.

“However, not having received approval from the RMG for any practical procedure, there became a time at which the idea of filling the holes should have been abandoned and a new keel built.

“The Jury is of the opinion that as a general principle, it is important that all yachts in a race hold a valid Measurement Certificate. This creates a ‘level playing field’ which is of fundamental importance to the sport.”

The biggest Volvo Ocean Race Village ever

Here is the first bunch of raw photos from the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Alicante. It is by the far the biggest ever built for the round-the-world race. The inaugural show will start in about 2 hours from now.

Part of the Village with the Telefonica and Ericsson boats. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Telefonica base. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Puma Racing base. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The two Ericsson boats. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The two Ericsson boats. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Telefonica lounge has direct views on the inshore race area. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Telefonica base could very well be one of the smaller America's Cup bases in Valencia. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Putting the last touches on Telefonica Blue. Here's a quick quiz. What is the use of the blue circle on the stern of the boat? Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Russian base. Alicante, 19 September 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia Sailing goest to Alicante

Good morning from Valencia.

There will be no updates till late in the afternoon as we go to Alicante for the official inauguration of the Volvo Ocean Race Village. From what we hear it is impressive, unlike any other built for the round-the-world race.

Stay tuned for our full report.

Delta Lloyd arrives in Alicante

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Team Delta Lloyd arrived in Alicante today with a message for its rivals: “Underestimate us at your peril.”

The syndicate, which used the six-day crossing from Cork as its 2,000-mile qualifier, is the last team to reach the start port.

Only three weeks ago the team had not concluded deals with its Dutch backer, while its shore crew of eight is smaller than any other in the field.

Irrespective of the statistics, Ger O’Rourke, who will skipper the boat formerly known as ABN AMRO ONE, is adamant his team can raise some eyebrows. He said: “We are behind the eight-ball, make no mistake. We clearly are the underdogs and we aren’t fighting that. Preparation is vital in this race and we have not had much of that. If you look at our shore operation, there are eight people including my daughter. We will also be using some volunteers."

Delta Lloyd arrives in Alicante. 17 September 2008. Photo coyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

“In all, it means we have a lot of work to do, but I would not have entered this race if I thought we could not win it.”

The Irishman figures that his team’s lack of preparation time will hinder his team early in the race, but expects the effect to be nullified by the point scoring system which is weighted towards the second half of the race.

He added: “I don’t imagine we will be super competitive in the first leg because we need more time to learn about this boat, but by the second and third legs I think we can be up to speed.

“As I said, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we can win. We are confident; we have a boat that has won this event before and we think it would be foolish for people to underestimate us.”

Crewmember Stuart Molloy, who was onboard for the delivery, explained the team did not try to break any records on its crossing.

He said: “We didn’t push things; it was very much a delivery crossing. We occasionally let her go to 25 to 26 knots and ran hard downwind, but there was a bit of caution because our canards and stuff don’t have the right bearings on and our running rigging is being replaced.

“We are replacing pretty much everything on here. It’s a nice long job list.”

“It was a good ride. We had the A3 on for three or four days and didn’t drop below 20 knots. As we got closer to the Med it was lighter and lighter and then from the Gibraltar Straits to here it was light and on the wind.

“This boat is still really quick and the excitement level goes through the roof. You really need time to learn these boats, but with a bit of that we can really impress some people.
“You can’t tell what will happen until we all line up and go at it.”

Delta Lloyd arrives in Alicante. 17 September 2008. Photo coyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

Team Russia arrived in Alicante

[Source: Team Russia] Team Russia’s Volvo 70 Kosatka reached Alicante this morning after its delivery trip from Portland, UK. This was the last offshore experience for the boat and the crew before the start of its round the world adventure. The preparation for the race is almost at its final point as all teams meet in Alicante before the first in shore race on the 4th of October.

Just after the arrival Team Russia’s skipper Andreas Hanakamp was happy to share his latest views on the boat and the team, “It was a very enjoyable trip to complete before we begin the serious racing. In terms of preparation, it was very important to see again on a long distance leg how the boat and the team are performing. And I’m very, very happy about where we’re in terms of boat performance, the team and how everything is coming together. We’re near to accomplishing the building of a really great team.

"As for the boat performance, it’s always a learning curve and that’s also why we all love this sport. Of course we’ve now got a lot more information and knowledge about the boats performance, but we never stop learning more and more. And that will last through the whole race, this is the special feature of sailing!”

Team Russia's "Kosatka" has arrived in the Volvo Ocean Race start port. Alicante, 15 September 2008. Photo copyright Holger Ronitz

Team Russia's "Kosatka" has arrived in the Volvo Ocean Race start port. Alicante, 15 September 2008. Photo copyright Holger Ronitz

Team Russia Bound For Alicante

[Source: Team Russia] Kosatka, Team Russia’s challenger for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, has left Portland, UK, bound for the start port of Alicante.

Skipper Andreas Hanakamp and his crew have been preparing Kosatka for this moment, fighting the terrible weather in the UK over the last week. A series of low-pressure systems brought torrential floods and gale force winds preventing the shore team from reattaching the keel and stepping its new mast. With a break in the weather on Monday, it was all hands on deck to reassemble the boat after a major refit, upgrades and refinements. Kosatka is expected to arrive in Spain by the weekend.

Team Russia leaves Portland and heads to Alicante. Portland, 9 September 2008. Photo copyright Team Russia

Ukrainian helmsman Rodion Luka joins the team for the delivery. Rodion has just returned from the Olympics in Qingdao, China where he was representing his country in the 49er class. Nina Gruendler the Team Russia’s doctor is also onboard, during the passage she will be running through a series of medical emergencies to train the crew how to a handle everything from fractures to head injuries.

Once in Alicante, the Team Russia crew will participate in safety training, weather briefing and team preparations while Kosatka is officially measured. The team will then prepare for the in-port and pro-am races on October 4-5, prior to the start of the first leg to Cape Town on October 11.

“Portland’s been a great training base for the last three months, but now we’re looking forward to going to Spain,” said Hanakamp as he left the dock for the 1700 mile sail south to Alicante.

Michael Woods, Team Russia’s CEO added, “ Portland has been a fantastic training base and will no doubt provide and excellent venue for the Olympic in 2012."

PUMA's il Mostro arrives in Alicante

[Source: PUMA Ocean Racing] PUMA Ocean Racing and their boat il mostro arrived in Alicante, Spain mid afternoon (CET) today. The team's arrival marks the successful completion of their transatlantic delivery of il mostro in preparation of the start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.

"We called this our team's "Leg 1." It was great practice for our boat and team," said skipper Ken Read. "We were able to work out some kinks and really come together as a team. Our goal at the beginning of this project was to get a great team of guys on il mostro, and I can confidently say we have succeeded. Our boat performed well, and we’re looking forward to getting this race started."

il mostro and the PUMA Ocean racing Team will remain in Spain until the start of the Race in October. The team still has to undergo safety training, weather briefs and il mostro will undergo official measurement by Volvo Officials. The race kicks off on October 4-5 with the In-Port and Pro Am Races. The seven entered teams will begin Leg 1 to Cape Town on October 11.

Puma's il Mostro arrives in Alicante. Alicante, 5 September 2008. Photo copyright Sally Collison / PUMA Ocean Racing

Puma's il Mostro arrives in Alicante. Alicante, 5 September 2008. Photo copyright Sally Collison / PUMA Ocean Racing

Extreme 40's to feature at Volvo Ocean Race stopovers

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The Extreme 40 Series will be part of the on-the-water entertainment package at selected stopovers during the 2008-09 race.

The Extreme 40s will feature in Alicante, Singapore, Qingdao, Boston and Stockholm with fleets of up to 10 boats.

The Extreme 40 is a new generation of mid-sized sports catamaran. The brainchild of Tornado Sport founder, Herbert Dercksen, it is a strict one-design catamaran that has been purposely designed and built to race inshore and short offshore regattas.

The concept is simple, it is easy to sail, lightweight, easily transportable and like the Volvo Open 70’s that will compete in the race, it is at the forefront of sailing technology.

In each port, the racing will take place between the in-port race weekend and the leg start weekend.

In the previous Volvo, the Extreme 40 series included over 80 races, in five countries, during seven months. Knut Frostad, Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “The inclusion of the Extreme 40s is based on the excitement the series generated in 2005-06.

“At stopovers during the previous Volvo, the Extreme 40s provided some fantastic racing and they are sure to catch the eye of visitors to the race village again this time round.”

The brand new "Telefonica Negro" VOR boat arrives in Spain

Here are the first images from the arrival of the brand new "Telefonica Negro" VOR boat from New Zealand.