Volvo Ocean Race scheduled for Christmas stop in Melbourne

by Jane Gordon on 31 Jan 2017 The Volvo Ocean Race fleet will be welcome visitors to Melbourne this Christmas with the 2017-18 Race coming to Australia for the eighth time. The stop-over, announced on Friday, is scheduled to have the sailors arriving in Melbourne around Christmas Day.

The stop-over fits between Cape Town and Hong Kong and the leg from Cape Town to Melbourne makes up the third leg of the Race. The crews are expected to be in Melbourne for a week and be based in and around Victoria Harbour in the Docklands precinct, before heading off on Leg 4 to Hong Kong.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren commented, “The Victorian Government is proud to work with a range of dedicated partners to support this stand-out sailing event.

“The Volvo Ocean Race is another chance for Victorians to see some of the world’s best sailing teams in action. Major events are fantastic for the entire visitor economy – they keep our restaurants and hotels full and our shopping precincts bustling,” he added.

The full route now features a total of 10 legs taking in 12 landmark Host Cities on six continents commencing in Alicante Spain on 22 October 2017. In the 2014-15 edition of the race, 11 Australian sailors took part and this is the eighth time the Race has visited Australia, stopping in Sydney in 1973-74, then 1997-98 and 2001-02, Fremantle in 1989-90, 1993-94 and 1997-98 and returns to Melbourne after their last visit in 2005-06.

Australian Sailing CEO Matt Carroll is looking forward to seeing the fleet enjoy a Christmas visit saying, “it’s great to welcome this prestigious race to our shores again.

“We expect Melbourne will provide a warm welcome to the Australian and international crews taking part, as well as their family and friends who will join them for Christmas and the New Year. We thank the Victorian Government for their ongoing support of a wide array of our sailing activities and adding this renowned event to their extensive sporting calendar,” said Matt.

Crews are expected to arrive in Melbourne around Christmas Day and depart for Hong Kong on 2 January 2018.

For the full schedule and further information, visit website.