2014 - 15 Volvo Ocean Race - Fernando de Noronha

by Agathe Armand on 26 Oct 2014 2014 - 15 Volvo Ocean Race - It’s a Brazilian holiday island, 200 nautical miles off the coast, northeast of the city of Recife.

A tropical paradise, with crystalline water, rich marine life and spectacular landscapes.

Ah, and Fernando de Noronha is an official Volvo Ocean Race waypoint on the way to Cape Town, too.

The teams have now rounded it, leaving it on port side before heading south.

'I was lucky enough to take some photo of this as we almost passed it after sunset,' writes Brian Carlin, Team Vestas Wind’s Onboard Reporter.

An archipelago of 21 islands, it was discovered in 1503 and has been temporarily occupied by the Dutch, the French and the Portuguese.

Now home to 5,000 people, it’s an unique ecological sanctuary and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

'All the Brazilian coast is beautiful, but Fernando de Noronha may be the most beautiful island in the world,' says Carolijn Brouwer, sheltering from the wind and the waves inside the boat as Team SCA leave the rock behind.

A Dutch sailor, Carolijn actually grew up in Brazil, and sailed there.

'Unfortunately it was dark when we rounded it today so we didn’t see it,' she adds in fluent Portuguese.

'But I’ve been there as a kid, and it reminded me of all these great Volvo Ocean Race