The race

The toughest and most difficult regatta in history. The Volvo Ocean Race: a technological, human and logistical challenge that “Telefónica”, lead by Iker Martínez, is taking on with one sole aim: to take Spain to their first victory in a round the world regatta.

A total of 40,000 nautical miles (74,000 kilometres) around the globe in which the eleven “Telefónica” crew will have to face the most extreme conditions, sailing across three oceans and stopping at ten cities across four different continents. Nine months of competition, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An exhausting pace and only one winner.

The Volvo Ocean Race will kick off in Alicante (Spain) on the 29th of October, with the celebration of the first inshore race.

A week later, on the fifth of November, the starting horn will sound for the start of the first leg in the regatta, which will finish at Cape Town (South Africa). From there, and after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the fleet will set off for new shores, and for the first time in the history of the regatta, the boats will be mooring at the city of Abu Dhabi (UAE). From the Persian Gulf the yachts will set course for the Chinese city of Sanya, having got through the much feared Strait of Malacca, pirate territory.

For the second consecutive edition a Chinese city will also be seeing off the participants, and this time, the boats will set course for the 'City of Sails', as Auckland (New Zealand) is well known. The Kiwi city welcomes the Volvo Ocean Race back and it is also the last resting point for the round the world sailors before diving into the feared South Pacific. After rounding Cape Horn the route home will begin, and getting back into the Atlantic is always a welcome relief.

Itajaí, in Brazil, is also making its début on the prestigious round the world schedule, and from there, the Volvo Open 70s will begin a stretch of the course that will take them to Miami, in the USA, the final port before crossing the Atlantic and getting back into European waters. From there, the Portuguese city of Lisbon will welcome the fleet, before they set off for Lorient (France). The Irish city of Galway marks the full stop in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, following nine months of intense competition in which offshore sailing is interspersed with inshore racing.