#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - The incredible finish of the latest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race wasn't the only drama on the high seas for one competing team.

Just days before CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand had the misfortune of stalling metres from the line in Lisbon on Friday night, they were involved in a near-miss with a whale in the North Atlantic, as the UK's Mirror reports.

The video above captures the team working quickly to alter their course to avoid the marine giant on their port side at a speed in excess of 20 knots.

It's that kind of quick thinking that separates the good from the great who take part on this round-the-world odyssey across the planet's toughest seas.

The CAMPER team currently lies fourth in the overall standings, 21 points behind new leaders Groupama.

#VOR – Galway Harbour Company says a temporary pedestrian walkway will be placed in the inner harbour as part of the preparations for Galway's finale of the Volvo Ocean Race 2012. The pedestrian walkway will be fixed at the South Dun Aengus Quay and with a lifting section which can be hoisted to allow vessels to moor in the inner harbour as advised by the office of the Harbour Master.

The structure is planned to be installed on the 27th June until 10th July 2012.

Mariners are advised to proceed with extreme caution when entering of leaving the harbour and to take cognisance of this temporary structure spanning the Dun Aengus Dock. The full notice is available to download below.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing secured their first leg victory of the Volvo Ocean Race last night in Portugal - pipping Groupama to the post by less than six minutes.

"It's one of the most amazing experiences of my sailing career," said Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker after the 12-day, 3,500-nautical-mile race from Miami to Lisbon.

Wexford's own Justin Slattery joined his crewmates for a well-deserved celebration on the dockside after their remarkable close finish in a race that has been dogged by demastings and other setbacks since it began late last year.

But it wasn't even the closest finish last night, as Team Telefónica took fourth place a mere 1 minute 42 seconds ahead of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, who dramatically stalled just metres from the line.

The finish sees Groupama - which features Kerry sailor Damian Foxall on deck - move to first place in the overall scoreboard with 183 points, the first to grab the top spot from Telefónica since the first leg last November.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Some 40 sailboats from Galway Bay Sailing Club converged in Galway on Saturday for a dress rehearsal of the sail parade that will take place as part of the city's Volvo Ocean Race events.

As Galway Bay FM reports, the Galway Afloat parade was set to follow a course from Salthill along the promenade, around Mutton Island and onward to the city docks.

Charged with firing a welcoming shot from a ceremonial canon at the parade's end was Galway City Mayor Hildegarde Naughton, back in the City of the Tribes after her recent visit to Miami ahead of the sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.

According to Pierce Purcell of the GBSC and director of the Irish Sailing Association (ISA), the parade rehearsal was the largest ever number of boats from the club to converge in the city for one event.

As many as 150 sailboats are expected to take part in the race finale parade, marking the end of an eight-day festival of sport, culture, entertainment and the arts.

Just four weeks remain till the Galway stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race, which commences on 30 June.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE –  One of Ireland's most promising dinghy sailors, Fireballer Kenneth Rumball, has turned his sights to being signed to a Volvo Ocean Race team for the 2014/15 campaign after watching Abu Dhabi-backed outfit Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and its Volvo Open 70 race yacht, Azzam (determination), storm to victory in the Miami In-Port Race on Saturday 19 May 2012.

At the race stopover in Miami, USA after winning an Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) Facebook competition to see the team, Kenneth, aged 24 – who also met with Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad whilst there - said "this experience of a lifetime has helped focus my long term plans."

The avid sailor and manager of the Irish National Sailing, Powerboat School & Club – Ireland's largest sailing school – added: "I would really like to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race, hopefully the next one. I met lots of the team on Azzam during the Pro Am Race including Ian Walker, Adil Khalid, Nick Dana, Wade Morgan, Craig Satterthwaite and Paul Willcox. I also met my fellow countryman Justin Slattery in the Abu Dhabi pavilion who gave me great tips towards getting onto a team for the next race.

"The trip was brilliant and it was great getting out on Azzam for the Pro-Am Race. We especially liked watching the In-Port Race from the chase boat with some of the shore crew. It was much better than viewing from one of the larger spectator boats as we were up close and personal with the team and able to see the race from a much tighter perspective.

"It was fantastic watching the changing conditions and the excellent way Ian and the team reacted to the dying breeze. Being the first to launch their code zero was a world-class decision and ultimately gave them the edge to squeeze past Groupama. The win was fantastic for the team who deserved it. It's given me perspective of offshore racing and has inspired me to consider pursuing my own Volvo Ocean Race dreams."

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing has been in prolific in-port form over the course of the nine-month sailing event, having won three out of the seven 'stadium' style race, the most notable of which was at home in the United Arab Emirates capital last January, the first Arabian Gulf stopover in the event's 39 year history.

The team, which has been less competitive offshore, currently tops the In-Port Race table with 30 points, sharing honours with Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg and Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand.

And after a strong showing in North America, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper and double Olympic medal winner, Ian Walker, is hoping to be in the mix for the final three legs and play a part in determining the overall race standings.

Currently in a podium position on Leg 7 to Lisbon, Portugal, after surviving harrowing rain and wind brought on by a tropical storm, the team is looking for some strong results as the race moves on to L'Orient, France then to the finish in Galway, Ireland early July.

And Rumball, who has gone on to represent the Emerald Isle at top international level in various classes including the Optimist World Team, Corpus Christi Texas 2002, ISAF Youth Worlds Korea 2005 in the 420 Class and the 420 Junior Europeans in Lake Garda Italy in 2005, says he'll be in Galway with his school members to cheer Azzam over the line.

"We want to get to Galway to see the fleet arrive to finish their epic race around the world. I will most certainly be cheering on Azzam in Galway and I hope to visit the team while they are there," said Kenneth.

A week of Abu Dhabi-themed heritage celebrations will welcome fans at the Galway stopover, with TCA Abu Dhabi leveraging the emirate's rich history in a specially-developed Race Village pavilion.

Topping the list of crowd-pullers will be a troupe of Emirati Ayala dancers. Set to the sound of drums, the traditional, celebratory dance features chanting from national songs and draws on centuries of history in a physical representation of Abu Dhabi's deep-rooted horsemanship past and the notion of bravery in battle.

Elsewhere, calligraphy artists will be on hand to turn fans' names into Arabic works of art, while henna specialists will paint intricate designs on visitors' hands. The pavilion will also feature a dedicated area where spectators can get their photographs taken with an exquisite Arabian falcon - the UAE's national symbol and the emblem of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

"Having seen what Abu Dhabi is planning on the ground in Galway, it is going to be fantastic. You really get a sample of what the emirate is like and it certainly entices you to learn more about it and really wants to make you go there. From the heritage displays to real life falcons, the pavilion really shows someone from Ireland what Abu Dhabi is like and what we can expect," added Kenneth.

#VOLVOOCEANRACE – 13 slipways around Galway Bay will give access to the water to launch and retrieve spectator craft for Volvo Ocean Race week. The slips include those on the north shore at Spiddal and one at Gleninagh Pier on the south shore as well as four other slip restricted for emergency use only. Full detials of the locations are on the map above. The predicted Galway dock gate opening times for Volvo Ocean Race week plus an image of the locations of Galway slip ways are also available for download as jpeg and pdf attachments below.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - President Michael D Higgins has confirmed he will visit Galway during the finale of the Volvo Ocean Race, Galway Bay FM reports.

The President is no stranger to maritime affairs, as earlier this year he was named as the sole patron of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

President Higgins was also on hand for the last stopover in Galway in 2009, which attracted thousands of visitors to the City of the Tribes.

This summer's Galway stopover, which is less than six weeks away, is expected to bring 50,000 additional tourists to the West of Ireland and generate as much as €65 million for the economy.

Events to promote the eight-day festival are well underway, with Galway City Mayor Hildegarde Naughton 'going overboard' in Miami last week ahead of the sixth leg of the race from Florida to Portugal.

Efforts are also being made to give Galway's beaches a spring clean, as reported yesterday on Afloat.ie.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - The six Volvo Ocean Race teams have announced their crew line-ups for today's in-port race in Miami, Florida.

Yesterday the team skippers talked about their expectations on the eve of the race, which is set to be the most hotly contested of the series so far.

Mike Sanderson of the Irish-backed Team Sanya, which is currently languishing in last place, was sanguine about the team's chances heading into the transatlantic leg.

"There’s no point in us sailing the race a couple of thousand miles behind the fleet just for the sake of finishing, we’re too competitive for that," he said, "so we’re going to go and do our thing and do the thing how we know to do it and do our very best to keep the boat in one piece."

Ireland's Damian Foxall will be on deck once more as watch leader for the Groupama team, which hopes to return to form after the indignity of dismasting so close to victory on the fifth leg last month.

The Kerryman with battle with Wexford's Justin Slattery who is sailing with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, the debutante team that currently lies fifth place in the standings.

This week Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing welcomed a second Irish sailor on board in the shape of Fireball champion Kenny Rumball, who won a trip to Miami to meet his heroes and sail on the team's Volvo Open 70 race yacht.

Rumball's dream trip coincided with a visit by Volvo Ocean Race chiefs to Galway to check on preparations for the race finale, which is now just six weeks away.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE – As the boats of the Volvo Ocean Race prepare to leave Miami for Lisbon, Tourism Ireland and Let's Do It Global hosted a reception in the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Miami last evening to drive awareness for Galway as the Race Finale destination as well as Ireland as a holiday destination.

The Volvo Organisers have issued details of how you can get afloat in Galway for the race with a range of different on the water activities to include sailing and kayaking as well as stand up paddleboarding.

In promoting the Volvo Ocean Race and strengthening ties between the two cities, Galway City Mayor Hildegarde Naughton who travelled to Miami as part of a local delegation, was presented with the Keys to the City of Miami as a symbolic gesture of freedom and friendship.

At the event, Enda O'Coineen, Chairman of Let's Do It Global introduced the Gathering 2013 concept to the distinguished guest list and explained how Irish Pubs Global will be utilising their global network by linking owners and managers of Irish pubs to build and maintain links with Ireland while also helping to increase profitability and success.

Also in attendance were the Consul General Paul Gleeson,Team Sanya crew and a number of prominent Irish men and women in areas of tourism and the media.

Following yesterday evening's festivities, Mayor Hildegarde Naughton will be hopping aboard the race boat on Sunday 20 May, to celebrate the beginning of the 7th leg of the race, to Lisbon, where Galway, the final destination of the race will be a closer reality. After an hour on board, this daring Mayor will jump overboard a racing yacht into the water where she will be collected by a waiting rib.

Only a distinguised group of people have had the  privilege of making the jump. In February Gold medal Olympic swimmer Xue Juan Luo braved the waters and jumped off the boat after an hour of racing. In November, Fine Gael politician Simon Coveney also took the plunge after visiting the team. There will be live coverage of the 'Jump Off' on TG4 this Sunday so for those following the race, be sure to watch out for it.

#RIB – Do you want to get a front seat to watch the V70's in Galway? Do you have a Rigid Inlatable Boat (RIB) and want to launch in the City and be sure of a berth for it in the docks? Well, there's only one way to be certain of all these and that's to volunteer yourself and your RIB as a Marshall boat. RIBs must be 5.5 metres in length or bigger and volunteers would need to be available for Thursday 4th to Saturday 7th July.

Contact the On Water Manager at Let's Do It Global email [email protected] or telephone the Volvo Race Office 091539995. Or visit the website and fill in volunteer form and include your RIB details.