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Last night the Spanish team returned to their base at Marina Rubicon in Lanzarote following 5 days of sailing

Five days and 12 hours. That's the time it took "Telefónica" to complete the 2,000 miles required for qualification for the regatta. The Spanish boat returned to base at Marina Rubicon just past 22:00 local time with one of the Volvo Ocean Race requirements in the bag: a minimum of 2,000 miles sailed offshore, non-stop and ahead of the start. Those 2,000 miles seal the team's entry for the round the world event set to kick off in Alicante, Spain, on the 29th of October.

Setting off on Monday with a full crew "Telefónica" set course West and out to open seas. By Thursday the yacht had completed over half the course and on Friday she had shifted course to return back to base at the Canary island of Lanzarote.

"It's been a lovely sail," said the Basque skipper, Iker Martínez. "It's been great for us to improve as a crew and to learn more about our boat."

Medical checks

Back on shore, the "Telefónica" crew have been going through weight checks and medical checks with Doctor Antonio Zoido and coordinated by the Team Telefónica physical trainer, Iñigo Losada.

At this stage the feedback has been positive, confirmation that the team's physical training is on course.

With the start of the regatta just 13 weeks away, the information will be used to draw up a plan for the final phase of physical preparation for the regatta. It will be a matter of refining finer details, given that the crew is in very good shape all round.

This qualification for "Telefónica" is another step forward on the road towards the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 and it means that a new phase in training will now begin.