The Iberdrola Alicante In-Port Race, a close-quarters sprint around a
short course took place at the weekend, marking the
start of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race. The 39,000 nautical mile round the world race is considered to be the world’s toughest and longest
professional yacht race.

The results:

Position / Team / Time / Points

1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / 53 minutes 44 seconds/ 6
2. Puma Ocean Racing powered by BERG / 1 hour 07:58 / 5
3. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand / 1:10:11 / 4
4. Team Sanya / 1:10:43 / 3
5. Groupama sailing team / 1:11:11 / 2
6. Team Telefónica / 1:12:08 / 1

The six teams now have until Saturday to make the final tweaks to their yachts before they set off from Alicante bound for Cape Town, South Africa, the first of nine offshore legs. Leg one starts at 1300 UTC (1400 local time) on November 5 and is expected to take around 21 days to complete.

For more information visit www.volvooceanrace.com

Photo:


























Ainhoa Sanchez/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing