#VOR - It’s less than 90 minutes till the start of the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race with a week-long sprint (of sorts) from Alicante to Lisbon for Leg 1.
It’s going to be 1,450nm of flat-out action around the Iberian Peninsula from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, with the fleet fighting for every inch as they aim to get some points on the board early on.
“After all the build-up, at last we are ready to race,” said Xabi Fernández, veteran skipper of the home favourite MAPFRE team who were the first to draw blood in the in-port race last week. “We are looking forward to getting into the rhythm of the race."
At the other end of the spectrum is Marie Riou, with Dongfeng Race Team, who is taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race for the first time.
“I have two different feelings,” she said. “The first one is excitement. I can’t wait to start the leg and to leave the pontoon … The other part of me is scared because … in a few days, I will start to discover what the world of offshore racing is really about.”
Conditions at start time in Alicante (1pm Irish time) are forecast to be moderate, with weather models suggesting Easterly winds of seven7 to 15 knots. This is somewhat lighter than forecast earlier in the week. Nonetheless, the favourable direction means the fleet will make good progress off the starting line.
After 12 hours of racing, the fleet – including a number of Ireland’s finest sailors – will be fully downwind and should be gybing in towards Cabo de Gata, to benefit from an acceleration and bend in the wind at the headland.
Twenty-four hours into the race and teams will be lining up for the Gibraltar Strait, the Rock of Gibraltar looming on the western horizon. As teams file into the narrow strait, wind strength could double from 14 to up to 30 knots, leading to frantic sail changes as teams negotiate accelerating wind, choppy waters and one of the world's busiest shipping channels all at the same time.
On Tuesday, 48 hours after the start, the sleigh ride comes to a close at the end of the acceleration zone, and the fleet will be required to negotiate a ridge of high pressure — and its associated light winds — continuing onwards.
Where to from there? Race director Phil Lawrence has reserved the right to lengthen the route with additional waypoints, if necessary, in order to secure an on-time arrival into Lisbon for next weekend.
Follow all the action live on the Volvo Ocean Race website or on Facebook Live, which is already streaming from Alicante ahead of the start.
