November 12, 2005, Vigo, Galicia
Up to 1 million people watched
the start of the Volvo Ocean Race.
With 70,000 people lining the dockside
alone and 2,000 spectator boats out on the course area, the race got a magnificent send-off from the Spanish port of Vigo.
There was a bustle of excitement on the dock this morning in the Spanish
port of Vigo as the crews hurried around making final preparations and
saying goodbye to friends and family, before they headed off on the first
6,400 nautical miles of the race.
The final farewell was delivered in person by His Majesty King Juan Carlos
I of Spain, who greeted the crews on the dockside above the new breed of
Volvo Open 70’s that were about to become their homes for the next 20
days.
On the Vigo dockside there was still one boat missing; the boat that was
formerly known as ‘Premier Challenge’ and now as ‘Brunel Sunergy’ was
still on her way to Vigo after clearing final measurement just yesterday.
As the six teams made their way off the dock, Grant Wharington and his
crew, which also saw final changes this morning, had just arrived at the
start.
At 14 00 HM King Juan Carlos I fired the starting gun onboard the Swedish
ship Göthenborg and finally the months of waiting were over.
Ericsson and
Pirates of the Caribbean shot off the start line under spinnaker and led
the charge to the first mark. With the breeze light and shifty there was
some clear differences in boat speed, and like the in-port race last
weekend which took place in similar conditions, Ericsson proved speedy and
was first to round, followed by Paul Cayard’s Pirates of the Caribbean and
home favourites movistar skippered by Bouwe Bekking.
The course then took the teams back through the start line which provided
a fantastic spectator opportunity, especially as the breeze picked up
under a rain cloud to 17 knots. Again it was Neal McDonald and his team
onboard Ericsson who were first through the gate followed by movistar, who
had overtaken Pirates of the Caribbean on the close hauled reach through
the start line. Third to go through was Pirates, followed by ABN AMRO ONE,
Brasil 1, ABN AMRO TWO and finally Brunel Sunergy.
As the teams head out of the Ria de Vigo followed by a small army of
hospitality boats, media boats and spectators, the order has not changed
and Ericsson leads the charge to Cape Town followed by movistar, who has
made up some ground on the leader, and then Pirates of the Caribbean.
The first 24 hours of the race is due to be a physical one as the forecast
is likely to build and for the crew’s first night they could have 30 knots
of wind. Already the wind has increased and there are 2-3 metre high waves
which the boats are crashing through. There is much talk of 24 hour
records being broken on the first Leg and only time will tell if this
prediction is true.
Even though the boats are out of site, they are never out of mind with the
new Volvo Ocean Race website. Log on to www.volvooceanrace.org to get the
latest action and position reports from the race.
For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Sacha Oswald Press Officer in Galicia:
Mob: +34 6699 73502 email: sacha.oswald@volvooceanrace.org
Lizzie Green Press Officer at race headquarters:
Tel: +44 1489 554 832, Mob: +44 7801 185 320
Email: lizzie.green@volvooceanrace.org
Images
Royalty free images for editorial use are available from the Image Archive
at http://media.vemuk.com. For assistance, please contact: Patrick
Anderson, Picture Desk Manager Tel: 44+ 1489 554867 Mobile: 44 777 55 33
956
Email: patrick.anderson@volvooceanrace.org
The Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race has started with an in port race in Sanxenxo,Galicia, on November 5, 2005. The start of leg one, the first offshore leg, will be from Vigo, Galicia, on November 12, 2005.
The Volvo Ocean Race is a round the world yacht race featuring nineoffshore legs, over 31,250 nautical miles. The 2005-06 event will feature an inshore race at each of the index stopover ports.
Four teams from the last race measured the media value of theirexposure. The results showed an average of US$50 million, which equates to a 200-300% return on their sponsorship investment.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2001-02 achieved a cumulative audience of over 800million viewers ranking it among the top international sporting events.
Further information can be found at www.volvooceanrace.org.
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