The countdown has begun for the Volvo Ocean Race which takes place next year. In just 365 days Sanxenxo, Vigo, Bayona and La Coruña will host the most important sports event ever in Galicia’s history, and also one of the most important sports events of Spain’s nautical history.

On 12 November 2005 the start of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race will take place and the participating teams will cross the Vigo inlet, which will link the Galician city to Cape Town, South Africa after a stopover on the island of Fernando de Noronha, on the coast of Brazil.

On 5 November, a week before the start, an inshore race will take place marking the beginning of the VOR competition.

Twelve months before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, five teams have already confirmed their participation: the Dutch ABN AMRO – with two boats-, the Brazilian Brasil 1, the Australian Premier Challenge, the Swedish “Atlant Ocean Racing”, and the Spanish Telefónica Movistar. Along with them, another 21 team pre-registrations from 11 countries, in which the North Americans, French, British, Swiss and Russians standout, and who all together promise a spectacular ensemble at the VOR’s start.

Pedro Campos – General Manager and helmsman for the inshore races, of the Telefónica MoviStar Sailing Team commented:

“Just one year left, time seems to fly. Feels like it was yesterday that Galicia was selected to host the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, but it’s already been a year.

“Luckily our project is moving along at a good pace and being the first to have started gives us peace of mind and a sense of stability, but being a step ahead of the rest isn’t enough; we want perfection with no room for mistakes, because the Volvo Ocean Race doesn’t allow mistakes and this is the reason we have the team work as if it had started last.”