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On June 27^th in St Petersburg, Russia, “Telefónica Black” won the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. In a curious twist, last Saturday, some two and a half years on, “Telefónica” won the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012. Two boats and a team that has evolved incredibly, to go on to set a milestone in the country's history, the first time that a Spanish boat has won the first leg of the round the world regatta.

Heading up the project is a sailor who is not only highly esteemed in his native Spain, but also right across the international sailing scene: Skipper Iker Martínez. We joined him for a look back at the leg that took the team into the lead of the Volvo Ocean Race.

How does it feel to have just won the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race?

This is a very special leg because it is important to do it well. That aside, we think that the result we achieved is a reflection of our preparation. We prepared well, we did a good job and we were able to win the leg. On the one hand we are happy, but then there's still so much to learn and so many things we have to work on... and we haven't even had the chance to have dinner together yet! It's a bit of a contradiction, but there's almost no time to really enjoy this because there's so much work to be done. It's a great feeling, but we've already got our heads in the next leg and on how we're going to improve.

What do you think the key point was in terms of winning this leg?

We don't feel that there's any point in particular where we were brilliant or where the leg was decided at all. It's been more of a leg on which we didn't take any risks and we pushed forward, little by little. It's clear that things turned out well for us, and in the end we were out there on our own..,

What goes through your head when you find out that one of the competitors racing in the same regatta has suffered damage of the sort that “Puma”, “Abu Dhabi” and “Sanya” suffered?

“Sanya” is a yacht from the previous generation and these boats get pushed to the limit, so there's always a risk when you take on a boat like that. It's something that doesn't surprise as much, although of course, you wouldn't wish it on anyone. We didn't expect the “Abu Dhabi” dismasting at all and we were all a bit shocked, but at the time we were wrapped up in a battle against the elements, so we didn't really have time to stop and think about it.

With “Puma” we were staggered. We really felt... I won't say 'scared', but not far from it. We were pushing hard in a pretty dangerous zone and they were right with us, in the same conditions, probably with the same sails... and it just makes you think it could have been you. In a second everything could just stop there. We took a step back and we got defensive because sometimes being too careful is almost worse: being too careful kills confidence, which is drastic.

The kiwis did what they had to do there and pushed really hard to see if we'd do the same and maybe break something. That was their only opportunity. They pushed and I think we did well: we did too, but only up to a point and when it got really tough we eased off a fair bit.

When did you guys realise that you had won the leg?

With 200 metres to go to the finishing line. We weren't sure until we got there because the conditions were really tough right up to the end. With 40 miles to go we had 35 knot headwinds and if we'd broken the mast there, for example, we wouldn't have finished. On other occasions it's been more easy-going, but this time it was pressure all the way, right up to the finish and it's been tough like that. 

Did you never really think about going for a 24-hours distance record?

We didn't think about breaking the 24-hours distance record because it would have been imprudent to do so. We even surprised ourselves by notching up almost 550 miles, taking it fairly easily and not taking any risks. I think that if we'd carried on sailing with “Puma” the 600 mile record would have been broken, or near enough. In any case, these weren't ideal record-breaking conditions.

What was the most difficult point on the leg for you?

When we were sailing in big winds in the South. We were pretty alone, it was very windy and we didn't want to damage the boat... but the conditions were pretty full-on. That was without doubt the toughest sailing moment and in terms of strategy it was when we chose to go West.

How would you describe the “Telefónica” crew?

The “Telefónica” crewmen are very hard workers and they all have lots of talent. When you have a group like that it brings the best out in everybody and it's definitely one of our strong points.

The Spanish national football team won the World Cup in South Africa and now you have arrived in Cape Town as leg winners. What do you think it is about this place that makes Spain do so well here?

I think circumstances have convened to make it so. The football team came here at their peak and I think it's a similar case for us. The football team had played in many World Cups and they had great players, but they couldn't manage to pull together as a team. They were great players individually but they weren't able to form that solid single group, the team. They blew up here and finished off the competition in the trophy that mattered... Anyway, they won the World Cup here and we have only just scored a goal in the first round, so there's a long way to go yet...