Telefonica skipper and Double Olympic medalist, Iker Martinez from Spain, took the newly launched Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 entry out on the water, before leaving the start port of Alicante, Spain, for their training base in Lanzarote

“It took nine months to build her, so everyone is really looking forward to get out there and sail to see how everything is working,” said Martínez. After being unveiled in her Valencia’s boatyard, Telefónica’s new Volvo Open 70 has been prepared and tested for 20 days in Alicante.

“We’ve done some sailing this week here and it’s a great place to carry out the first test sails. We have been very careful not to break anything, looking at what was working and what wasn’t.”

The double Olympic medallist also took second place in the Barcelona World Race just a few weeks ago. He is now looking forward to some more offshore sailing. “We are now going to do some ocean sailing to reach the Canary Islands. It’s a pretty serious matter. The training begins. Here we go!”

“We are going to try to break everything there is to break. That may sound crazy, but it makes things easier when racing. It will also help us to learn about the boat and how to sail her in tough and medium conditions.”