Volvo Ocean Race - Team Brunel takes fourth in Alicante In-Port Race

by Team Brunel on 6 Oct 2014 With the start of the Alicante In-Port race, the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 has officially begun. Hundreds of spectators watched a thrilling In-Port race where the teams were faced with 14 knots of shifting wind.

After a safe start Team Brunel, with Laurent Pagès driving and Bouwe Bekking as a tactician, opted for the left-hand side of the 7.8-mile race course. The Dutch team rounded the first top mark fourth just behind Alvimedica. At the first downwind run Team Brunel managed to grab the third place, but eventually Team Brunel finished fourth in the first In-Port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15.

'Today the team did a good job,' says skipper Bouwe Bekking on the dock. 'After a difficult start we sailed a conservative race. Even though we gained some places during the race, we still finished fourth. We have not paid much attention to the In-Port races, because the off-shore legs and the in-port races will be run as two separate series. During our six months training period on Lanzarote our focus was mainly on the offshore legs. For now there are still some Pro-Am races on the program were we offer sponsors to sail with a VO65. After that we will prepare the boat for the first Leg. All the food and safety equipment is then coming aboard. And then off course the sail team has some time to spend with their family. We are looking forward to sail to Cape Town.'

'Our plan was to have a pin-end start and then go to the left-hand side of the course,' says Laurent Pagès. 'Before the start I decided not tack too early to the start line, giving Dongfeng Race Team and Team Vestas Wind space to tack just behind us. The reason I chose for this conservative move was purely to stay out of trouble. We finished not far from the top three boats and that’s not a bad Team Brunel Volvo Ocean Race