Displaying items by tag: The Ocean Race
The organisers of The Ocean Race and the Valencian regional government presented the economic impact generated over the race start period in Alicante to be estimated at €71.6 million in GDP, of which €58.5 million was in the Valencian region.
This figure represents the equivalent of over 1,200 full-time jobs annually in Spain, the vast majority in the Valencian region, according to the independent study carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The start of the race attracted over 300,000 visitors from the opening of the Ocean Live Park on 7 January until the departure of the round-the-world race on 15 January. The Ocean Live Park featured a wide variety of family-friendly activities.
One of the milestones of this edition was to reach a record in daily visitors with 81,118 and 70,662 visitors on 14 and 15 January, respectively — the most in the five editions the start has been hosted in Alicante.
Jordi Esteve, responsible for the PricewaterhouseCoopers study, said: “The celebration of The Ocean Race is a benchmark and one of the main economic engines and job creators for Alicante, the Valencian Region, and Spain, as shown by the numbers.”
The report indicates that the national expenditure during the period covered in the report amounted to almost €49 million, of which the vast majority was spent in the Valencian region. The most favoured sectors were retail and hospitality, which enjoyed 45% of the indirect and induced impact.
In addition to wealth and employment, The Ocean Race has also had a very significant impact on tax revenue — €33 million in VAT, income tax, social security and corporate tax.
Richard Brisius, race chairman of The Ocean Race said: “The expenditure and investment made, both by spectators, organisers, and all of the other stakeholders involved in the regatta, such as sponsors and teams, are a very relevant stimulus for the economy and the business fabric of the Valencian region.
“We are also proud to have welcomed 2,200 school children to educational sessions on ocean protection and 18,000 visitors to the One Blue Voice pavilion — an inspirational experience developed in collaboration with the founding partner of our Racing with Purpose sustainability programme, 11th Hour Racing, to engage and educate about the race to protect our ocean.”
Antonio Rodes, CEO of the Society for Digital Transformation Projects (SPTD) said: “For us it was very important to introduce values reflecting the two major vectors on which economic growth and development in the world pivot at the moment, ie digitalisation and decarbonisation, which have both been present in this edition.
“The positive impact has been not only on GDP and employment, but also on the hotel sector during the low period after Christmas, and the boost it has given to the hospitality and retail sectors in the city and province of Alicante.”
Alicante has been the starting port of The Ocean Race for five editions and will return as the start port for the next edition scheduled for 2026-27. Since 2010, the city has also been home to the headquarters of The Ocean Race — and since 2012 Alicante has been home to The Ocean Race Museum, which in 2022 saw its visitor figures return to pre-pandemic levels.
With The Ocean Race Leg 3 winner Team Malizia and second-place finisher Team Holcim-PRB safe in Itajaí, the battle on the water for third place has closed up dramatically over the past 24 hours.
Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm crew has realised an incredible gain on 11th Hour Racing Team, making up more than 100 miles on the leaderboard as of 1600 UTC on Monday (3 April).
The IMOCA pair are separated east/west by about 80 miles, but in terms of distance to finish are now virtually tied.
Both crews are showing incredible resilience in the face of adversity as each team has suffered more than its share of damage in the five weeks of racing to date. A race for third place isn’t the race they were dreaming about when this leg started in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, the weather isn’t ideal for making fast progress to the finish — light to moderate winds, upwind — but should provide for some good racing.
“We have had highs and lows, seen joy, frustration, courage and heartache. We’ve been fast. We’ve been broken. Above all, thus far, we’ve been safe,” said 11th Hour Racing Team skipper Charlie Enright on Sunday afternoon.
“The magnitude of what we’ve done hasn’t yet set in, nor should it have, it’s never over till it’s over! We have 500 miles or so to go, and two or three potential points on the table.
“Everyone and every boat has been pushed to the limit and beyond. We need to get to Itajaí as fast as possible, for the points, for the physical and mental rest and, most importantly, to be preparing Mālama for the next leg, into our hometown of Newport, Rhode Island.”
That last point can’t be overstated. All of the teams have lengthy work lists for their boats, and 11th Hour Racing Team and Biotherm are no exception. Their technical teams will be looking on with envy on Monday as the Team Malizia and Holcim PRB boats are now out of the water and work begins in the technical zone at the Ocean LIve Park.
The sooner Mālama and Biotherm arrive, the sooner the ‘race to repair’ can begin.
Leg Three Rankings at 1600 UTC, 3 April
- Team Malizia, finished on 02/04/2023 at 05:20:28 UTC
- Team Holcim-PRB, finished on 02/04/2023 at 10:56:20 UTC
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to finish, 363.5 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 3.5 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia Wins Leg 3 of The Ocean Race
This morning, Sunday 2 April at 05:20:28 UTC (02:20:28 local time) in Brazil, Team Malizia glided across the finish line off Ocean Live Park in Itajaí to win Leg 3 of The Ocean Race 2022-23, collecting five points in the process.
The win comes on the 35th day of racing and after 14,714 nautical miles of intense, close-quarters racing.
Early in the leg, it didn’t appear likely that we would see Team Malizia at the front of the IMOCA fleet for the finish.
Within days of the start in Cape Town in late February the team discovered serious damage to the top of their mast and needed to devote nearly two full days to effecting difficult repairs at sea, with an uncertain result.
Meanwhile, Team Holcim-PRB had escaped from the rest of the fleet and was a full weather system and nearly 600 miles ahead.
On board Malizia, the makeshift reinforcement of the top of the spar was successful and the chase was on.
By the time the teams reached the Leg 3 scoring gate, Malizia had closed to less than 200 miles from Holcim-PRB, moving up into second place and collecting four points.
As the fleet raced south of New Zealand and into the southern depths of the Pacific Ocean, the game closed up significantly within 10 miles and exchanging the lead one to the other as they raced along the ice exclusion zone.
During one of the worst periods of the leg, with the boat lurching in a violent sea state, Rosalin Kuiper was tossed from her bunk and suffered a head injury. With a focus on getting Rosie stabilised and recovering, the crew was taxed even more, down to a three-person watch rotation for the rest of the leg.
A day out from Cape Horn and Team Malizia had a narrow advantage of fewer than 30 miles, leading the fleet around the iconic passage and winning the Roaring Forties trophy in the process.
The final push north was hard-fought. Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia were racing within in sight of each other — exchanging body blows all the way up the South American coast.
The penultimate night — Friday night — was a battle through yet another fierce storm, with gusts of 50 knots screaming off the coast and whipping up the sea.
Boris Herrmann and his crew on Team Malizia handled the conditions with aplomb, and emerged into the daybreak with a 60-mile lead after Holcim-PRB did a crash gybe overnight and suffered damage. This was the largest lead any team had enjoyed since New Zealand over 10 days ago.
On the last day of the leg and into the final night at sea, Team Malizia sailed fast and confident towards the finishing line, extending its lead to more than 80 miles and taking an historic win.
Leg Three Rankings at 1050 UTC, 2 April
- Team Malizia, finished on 02/04/2023 at 05:20:28 UTC
- Team Holcim-PRB, distance to finish, 0.9 miles
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 533.1 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 669.2 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
It was the last thing they needed: a quick, deepening low-pressure system bringing winds in excess of 40 knots, a sickening sea state and another massive challenge for IMOCA sailors operating on the 34th day of racing in Leg 3 of The Ocean Race 2022-23.
But that was the state of play overnight on Friday night. It was no April Fool’s joke.
It meant an exhausting, pressure-filled night, trying to compete for points while making sure the boat and crew could make it to the finish line.
“This is the final push — push, push, push!” said Malizia’s skipper Boris Herrmann. “I’m trying to keep the boat upright and balanced under the sails… I have to confess, I’m a bit tense. You don’t want to make a mistake now, here.”
With the competition so close, teams are being circumspect about how much damage they have suffered. It’s a competitive advantage to hide your vulnerabilities from the competition, but nobody has raced 15,000 hard miles unscathed.
There is no doubt that every boat is operating at less than 100 per cent. And every crew member is being asked to give more, well past their comfort level.
For example, Team Holcim-PRB dropped miles to Team Malizia on Friday evening (31 March). After the boats had raced in lockstep since Cape Horn, it was unusual to see Malizia quickly stretch out to 30-plus miles.
It’s not hard to imagine some level of damage on board as a contributing factor — and it could already be the leg-winning difference for Boris Herrmann’s team.
Both teams pushed close to the shore to escape the worst of the weather, but still experienced gale-force winds and a punishing sea state.
Further back, in the fight for third place, we know Biotherm hit an object Friday evening and damaged their port foil. The fact that 11th Hour Racing Team hasn’t added to its lead in a meaningful way would indicate Charlie Enright’s squad is probably operating at a level less than 100 per cent as well.
It would be impossible to overstate how challenging this last run up the coast has been. Since Cape Horn the teams have been in a constant battle. Normally the turn to the north provides a respite from the Southern Ocean and a return to a week of tactical racing to the finish.
This year, it has been a continuous series of new challenges to be met by crews and boats who have been pushed long past their operational limits. The finish line off the Ocean Live Park in Itajai can’t come soon enough.
The ETA for the winning boat is between 0200 and 0800 local time Sunday morning in Itajaí — 0600 to noon UTC on Sunday 2 April. Regardless of final arrival time, a very warm welcome is awaiting in Itajaí.
Live coverage of the finish will be available via a player in The Ocean Race blog on Eurosport.com.
Leg Three Rankings at 1620 UTC, 1 April
- Team Malizia, distance to finish, 194.1 miles
- Team Holcim-PRB, distance to lead, 66.8 miles
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 474.68 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 579.6 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
The Ocean Race: Tension Mounts as Racing Remains Painfully Close in Final Stretch of Leg 3
Tension, exhaustion and extreme emotional swings through elation and despair. That’s likely to be the mood on board Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia all the way to the Leg 3 finish now on Friday 31 March.
Despite racing hard for over 33 days and over 14,000 miles sailed over ground, neither Boris Herrmann’s Malizia nor Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim-PRB crew have managed to find a winning advantage in this stage of The Ocean Race 2022-23.
To the contrary, they are often sailing within plain sight of each other, and have been exchanging the lead back and forth over the past 48 hours.
“We can see them on the computer, but we can also just see them out the window,” said a very tired Sam Goodchild, speaking about a Malizia team that is staying close like a shadow.
It’s no better on Team Malizia where Boris Herrmann’s team was hoping to take advantage of unexpectedly strong conditions after Cape Horn to gain some separation in conditions that tend to favour the German boat. It hasn’t happened and they are locked in a duel that appears destined to go all the way to the finish line.
“Holcim-PRB is just here,” Herrmann says at one point, pointing slightly behind. “I’m happy to see them there, and not there,” he adds, moving his arm slightly forward.
“We can see a 10-minute average speed on the computer and see if we are faster — green — or slower — red. For the moment we are faster.”
This is close-quarters, short-handed racing of the kind rarely seen on these boats. It will take every ounce of fighting spirit on board these boats to muster the 24/7 energy required to make gains. It is now a question of who can hold on the longest between now and the finishing line.
Further back, things are slightly better for 11th Hour Racing Team who have eked out a 60-mile advantage over Biotherm. Still absurdly close after nearly 14,000 miles of racing, but a measure of breathing room nonetheless.
The ETA is starting to take shape: for the leading IMOCA pair, the most likely scenario is near sunrise in Itajaí on Sunday 2 April (near noon UTC). The second pair is approximately one day behind, and looking at a Monday finish.
Meanwhile, GUYOT environnement – Team Europe’s IMOCA arrived in the Brazilian city of Itajaí after a two-week, 3,500-nautical mile delivery trip across the South Atlantic Ocean from Cape Town in South Africa.
The European team — led by Benjamin Dutreux (FRA) and Robert Stanjek (GER) — was forced out of Leg 3 three days in after discovering delamination to the bottom of the hull of the 2015-built yacht.
After arriving back in Cape Town four days later, the team made a full assessment of the damage before embarking on a painstaking repair operation to put the boat back in full racing trim.
Despite the setback of missing Leg 3, the team is in good spirits and committed to rejoining the race for the fourth leg from Itajaí to Newport, Rhode Island which starts on 23 April.
Leg Three Rankings at 1900 UTC, 30 March
- Team Malizia, distance to finish, 545.4 miles
- Team Holcim-PRB, distance to lead, 5.9 miles
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 373.6 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 434.6 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
The Ocean Race Leg 3: Team Malizia Neck and Neck With Team Holcim-PRB After More Than a Month of Racing
As the calendar ticks over to the 33rd day of competition on Leg 3 of The Ocean Race 2022-23, Team Malizia and Team Holcim-PRB are as close as ever.
On the 1700 UTC tracker update on Thursday 30 March, the IMOCA pair were separated by a fraction of a nautical mile on the leaderboard.
And it’s a tense time, with very changeable conditions.
“We’ve had crazy conditions all night,” said Will Harris from Team Malizia. “Everything from zero to 52 knots of wind from every direction. It’s been pretty tough… But we’re going good. Strong now.”
“We’ve seen quite a quick increase in breeze,” said Abby Ehler on Team Holcim-PRB. “More that we were expecting, between 48 and 50 knots of wind… The seaway is not too bad so we’re not slamming too bad, but we’re going to play it safe.”
“We haven’t been pushing too, too much,” agreed skipper Kevin Escoffier. “We had gusts of 50-55 knots, pretty heavy night. Tonight it was quite windy.”
But soon after there was the sound of sails flapping back and forth with very little wind; tough conditions for the teams.
Just over 350 miles behind, 11th Hour Racing Team has started to put some distance between itself and Biotherm, with both now nearly a full day behind the leading pair.
“We’re definitely going north as fast as we can right now,” said 11th Hour Racing Team sailor Simon Fisher. “The water temperature is creeping up slowly, so I think two more days of thermal clothing but we’re making good progress!”
Also making good progress is GUYOT environnement - Team Europe on their delivery from South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil where the team will rejoin the race for Leg 4. The GUYOT team was expected to arrive in Itajaí late in the afternoon local time today.
As the fleet heads north with an ETA on Sunday 2 April, The Ocean Live Park in Itajaí opened to the public on Wednesday evening (29 March).
Leg Three Rankings at 1700 UTC, 30 March
- Team Malizia, distance to finish, 896.7 miles
- Team Holcim-PRB, distance to lead, 0.2 miles
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 362.8 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 499.5 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
The Ocean Race Launches Virtual Reality ‘Metaverse’ Experience
The Ocean Race has launched a metaverse experience pilot with Virtual Regatta and Accenture to engage fans and businesses in a new way with the renowned global yacht race.
The companies have developed a metaverse environment that allows gamers and enthusiasts of the race’s official eSailing game, Virtual Regatta, to take part in exclusive online events, interact with other fans and get access to team stats.
“We are entering the metaverse and our collaboration with Virtual Regatta and Accenture because we are explorers and pioneers,” said Richard Brisius, race chairman of The Ocean Race. “Since 1973 we have sought new ways for people to engage with what is happening in the ocean.”
Philippe Guigné, founder and CEO of Virtual Regatta, added: “The metaverse is a new experience provided by Virtual Regatta and The Ocean Race that will allow people to follow the physical and virtual race in an all-digital race village. Gamers and enthusiasts will be able to meet each other, watch the physical and digital event, and much more. This virtual reality setup will further enhance the fan experience.”
Accenture, The Ocean Race and Virtual Regatta are also providing e-commerce opportunities for brands to showcase their digital goods and services in the metaverse space, such as active apparel retailer and official clothing partner of the race Helly Hansen.
Additionally, The Ocean Race’s mission to protect the seas is incorporated in the metaverse strategy and content. The Racing with Purpose tent, named after the organisation’s sustainability programme, is an interactive space where visitors can explore how the race supports this goal and how they can get involved.
The area features a science station, which highlights how race teams are gathering vital data about the ocean, and a learning corner where visitors can discover and download learning programmes to inspire youth between 6–16 years old to protect the seas.
Also showcased is the Blue Voice campaign, which gives an opportunity for visitors to show their support by signing the petition for ocean rights.
“The metaverse will usher in a new era of our digital lives, overcoming the limitations of the physical world and creating new opportunities to immerse in issues and connect as communities,” said David Treat, who is the co-lead of Accenture’s Metaverse Continuum business group. “Our collaboration with The Ocean Race and Virtual Regatta is helping reinvent how people engage with the race and protect our oceans while creating value for all stakeholders.”
Brisius added: “Purpose drives The Ocean Race. Protecting our racetrack and restoring the health of the ocean is vital, and the metaverse can be a fantastic tool for helping give the ocean a voice. It is even more important for us to continue to explore new ways to engage and educate.
“We recognise that it is the young generation where we need to focus our efforts to build ocean literacy, as the metaverse is likely to attract many young users. In addition, we believe in the merits of Web 3.0 with a metaverse which will represent a fair internet controlled by the users, compared to the current Web 2.0 which is centralised and run by a few entities.”
More than 200,000 eSailing players are expected to take part in the Virtual Regatta Offshore and Inshore versions of the race. There are seven IMOCA legs and three VO65 Sprint stages on Virtual Regatta Offshore, with new features for an expanded virtual experience, mimicking the real race the crews are undertaking.
The Ocean Race metaverse pilot experience, in collaboration with Virtual Regatta and Accenture, will be available to users on a limited basis starting with the last week of Leg 3 of the race from Cape Town to Itajaí, Brazil. Request your metaverse access code HERE.
After passing Cape Horn and escaping the south, the big-weather challenges haven’t quite ended for The Ocean Race sailors yet.
The leading IMOCA pair — Team Malizia and Team Holcim-PRB — found themselves in what Malizia’s Will Harris called some of the most challenging weather of the leg when they turned north. Gale-force winds and sharp, confused seas.
Separated by just over 10 miles as of 1800 UTC on Wednesday 29 March, the front-running duo are in an intense race that looks to be close all the way to the finish, with the ETA shading towards Sunday 2 April in Itajaí.
On Wednesday, The Ocean Race weather expert Christian Dumard described a situation for the trailing pair where strong winds were racing down the coastal mountains with microburst rain squalls that could see the wind increasing suddenly from 20 knots to more than 40 knots.
“It can be very difficult for the sailors as often you think once you pass Cape Horn things will get easier, but that hasn’t been the case yet,” Dumard said.
On Biotherm, the weather near Cape Horn included snow on the mountains and snow squalls on deck.
“This was a spectacular rounding of Cape Horn because there was so much snow…It was absolutely beautiful. Huge snow squalls coming through,” said Sam Davies on Biotherm.
“It’s a great goal post to get through but as we gybed close to Cape Horn we lost all of our wind instruments and the computer. At the same time there was that massive snow squall so we didn’t have a lot of time to celebrate…”
The team is going old school with the electronics damage, tying ‘woolies’ on the shrouds to show the wind angle.
“A couple of weeks ago it wasn’t certain we’d make it this far,” said 11th Hour Racing Team skipper Charlie Enright, speaking about what getting to Cape Horn meant to him.
“This is a big milestone in the journey of circumnavigating the planet. I’m very proud of our squad and the work that’s been put in…It feels good…And now it’s back to work and 2,000 miles to go!”
Leg Three Rankings at 1800 UTC, 29 March
- Team Malizia, distance to finish, 1,271.2 miles
- Team Holcim-PRB, distance to lead, 10.7 miles
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 263.4 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 327.8 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
Team Malizia continues to head the leaderboard in Leg 3 of The Ocean Race 2022-23 after leading the fleet around Cape Horn.
On Tuesday (28 March) it was 11th Hour Racing Team (1255 UTC) and Biotherm (1525 UTC) who took their turn passing the iconic landmark and joining the exclusive list of offshore sailors to have rounded the Horn.
The IMOCA fleet has really split in two now, with Malizia fighting to fend off overall race leader Team Holcim-PRB. Meanwhile, 11th Hour Racing Team holding a slim advantage over Biotherm — but both are nearly a day behind the leading pair.
“It is nice to still be fighting against Biotherm,” said Justine Mettraux on 11th Hour Racing Team, who rounded Cape Horn for the first time.
“There are still 2,000 miles not go after the Cape to Itajaí so still a lot to play for. It is nice to have a bit softer winds, despite it meaning the leaders are moving away from us. We are back to full main, big sails, and trying to get the most of the wind we have at the moment, but they are pretty unstable conditions with a lot of clouds.
“It is cold, though! Hard to dry anything but nice, beautiful lights, birds again because we are getting close to shore. We are seeing more albatrosses and petrels which is nice.”
“It’s been tough to have 11th Hour Racing pass us, but today is better — we’re going to pass Cape Horn,” Paul Meilhat said. “The boat is not 100% but it’s not bad. We are really proud of the work we have done. One year ago we were putting layers in the boat mould and today we are racing past Cape Horn. Already this is a victory.”
Nearly 400 miles north, Kevin Escoffier was getting back into race mode after celebrating his third rounding of the Horn.
“The main challenge is still to get to Itajaí,” he said. “The weather can change rapidly. Rather than looking for weather systems that move very quickly and that can change direction, we’d rather go on the northern route. Always protecting the boat and the crew.”
Will Harris on Team Malizia is enjoying the burden of being in the lead, being chased by a Holcim-PRB team that has a perfect points record in the race to date.
“We’ve been sailing our own strategy,” he said. “We’re not at the point where we would match race them. There’s still five or six days left in this leg — there’s a lot that can happen so we have to sail our own race. The easiest way to finish ahead of them is to give ourselves an opportunity jump ahead by a few miles. We have to do what we think is right and play our own game.”
Leg Three Rankings at 1900 UTC, 28 March
- Team Malizia, distance to finish, 1,505.3 miles
- Team Holcim-PRB, distance to lead, 23.9 miles
- 11th Hour Racing Team, distance to lead, 358.7 miles
- Biotherm, distance to lead, 393.9 miles
Find the latest fleet positions on the race tracker at theoceanrace.com.
Bangor’s Bill O’Hara Is Keeping The Ocean Race On Track as PRO
It’s one thing moving a start line because of say, a wind shift. But at the Cape Town start for Leg 3 of the The Ocean Race on 26 February, principal race officer Bill O’Hara was forced to work around a pod of whales.
For the ex-Olympian from Bangor on Belfast Lough who began his sailing career at Ballyholme Yacht Club, this is the sixth time as PRO for what used to be known as the Volvo Ocean Race, and before that the Whitbread Round the World Race.
Bill — named Afloat.ie’s Sailor of the Month for November last year for his services to sailing — is responsible for the pro/am and inshore races at each venue and for the starts for each of the seven legs on the 32,000-nautical-mile round the world race.
This year it’s taking him all over the world: from Alicante in Spain to Cabo Verde off West Africa and Cape Town in South Africa, and soon to Itajai in Brazil, Newport in Rhode Island on the US east coast, then back to Europe to Aarhus in Denmark, The Hague in the Netherlands and finally Genoa in Italy this summer.
The five IMOCA (International Monohull Open Class Association) 60-foot high-performance hydro foiling yachts racing around the world are usually sailed by one or two crew in the Route de Rhum.
But for this contest these flying machines each have a crew of five — necessary, really, for the likes of Leg 3, a 12,750-mile venture towards Itajaí that marks the longest single leg in the race’s 50-year history.
It was an extraordinary start of this leg for the five boats but a headache for Bill and his assistants, as a pod of three whales was sighted after the five-leg inshore course in the original starting sequence area. This meant a late change to the set-up of the course, now in the wind shadow of the iconic Table Mountain.
To add to the start drama, Biotherm had to suspend its race to return to port. And 11th Hour Racing team also stopped racing to make repairs still out to sea. Both served the minimum two-hour period delay before rejoining the race, in which the fleet — minus GUYOT environnement - Team Europe, who retired from the leg with hull damage earlier this month — is now rounding Cape Horn.
Before Bill heads to Brazil, however, it’s off to the Princess Sophia event in Mallorca as rules advisor to the Irish and Danish Olympic teams, and then to Los Angeles to run a seminar on umpiring. By 16 April, Bill should be in Itajaí for The Ocean Race Leg 4 start on the 23rd.
You can follow the latest updates from The Ocean Race right here on Afloat.ie.