Volvo Ocean Race - 66 sailors ready for In-port battle in Alicante

Abu Dhabi during the Alicante practice race. Francisco Vignale http://www.franciscovignale.com/

Team SCA during the practice Race in Alicante. © David Ramos / Getty Images/Volvo Ocean Race

The first In-Port Race of this edition marks the first of several major landmarks that these 66 sailors will chalk off over the coming days, weeks and months.

And it’s not just about rounding the official marks and buoys scattered and bobbing around the bay of this Spanish seaside city.

It’s also about leaving behind the 6am jogs and throbbing calves, trans-atlantic test run and storm sail changes, back to back media interviews and photo shoots that have filled their days up to this point.

But not anymore. Now, it really is all about the sailing.

Team Vestas Wind during the practice Race in Alicante. © David Ramos / Getty Images/Volvo Ocean Race

For Chris Nicholson’s Danish boat, the last to enter this race, that might come as something of a relief. The frantic last eight weeks have been a testing time – not so much a breeze, as a whirlwind.

'Our preparations for this In-Port Race have certainly been less than they have ever been for us in the past,' says the skipper, Chris Nicholson, who is about to embark on his fifth Volvo campaign.

'It’s not ideal. In Leg 0, we had to do manoeuvres that we hadn’t done before as a team! I was making calls and they were looking back at me saying ‘we haven’t done this’. I knew, but we didn’t have a choice.'

And even for weathered veterans like the Australian, fundamental changes this edition mean that it’s all new for the sailors this time around.

Firstly, the boats are all the same now – we’ve gone one-design. And second, a change in the scoring system means that the In-Port Race series will be treated as a different competition to the Volvo Ocean Race itself. It won’t count towards the overall ranking, but it can break a tie at the end of the race.

But does that mean that there’s a risk the teams won’t put in as much effort as in the past?

Chris shakes his head. 'We take every practice, or In-Port Race, awfully seriously,' he argues.

'I’m looking forward to it, but right now I’m very glad for us that it doesn’t count for points.'

The fleet during the practice Race start in Alicante. © David Ramos / Getty Images/Volvo Ocean Race

Over on the French-Chinese Dongfeng Race Team, they’re probably wishing that it did.

Charles Caudrelier’s crew led the pack as the rainbow fleet faded into the horizon on Leg 0 – and also came first in an In-Port practice run this afternoon.

'For sure, our good performance gives us confidence going into the In-Port Race,' he smiles.

'I was afraid that it would be really difficult with less experienced sailors, so we worked with Thierry Peponnet, the coach from Groupama, for two weeks.'

And with some of his rookies standing at the bottom of a very steep learning curve, Charles reckons that short, sharp drills will be really useful training.

'We know that we are very organised, and I think that inshore racing is the best way to organise a crew, even for offshore manoeuvres,' he says.

But there’s another team gunning for first place tomorrow – and they have the whole of Spain behind them.

Iker Martínez and Mapfre will be flying the red and yellow flag this race, and are desperate to get a positive result in familiar waters.

'Because we’re at home, it’d be good for our sponsor and our team – maybe even more so than the result. We want to do something good,' Iker smiles.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Dongfeng Race Team during the practice Race in Alicante. © David Ramos / Getty Images/Volvo Ocean Race

Three years ago, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Ian Walker saw his team do just that.

The Emiratis stormed the first Alicante race of 2011/12 – but is he tempted to avoid a repeat of that result?

After all, it brought them some seriously bad luck - they broke a mast during their first night at sea in Leg 1.

He laughs. 'No, we had a good In-Port Race last time in Alicante - so we'll be looking to do the same.'

'We want to do well. If you put a bunch of us out in Optimist dinghies this afternoon, we'd still try to beat each other and win the Optimist race.'

Team Alvimedica during the practice Race in Alicante. © David Ramos / Getty Images/Volvo Ocean Race

Team Alvimedica’s Charlie Enright agrees with that, and has no doubt that the sailors will go all out to win this race.

After all, it’s a real race, he reasons. 'And it will be the first time we'll see our name on the leaderboard, so there is a lot to look forward in that.'

It’s all becoming very real for the other newbie skipper too, Team SCA’s Sam Davies. 'It gets the adrenaline going, and you realise what an amazing adventure you’re part of,' she says.

'Sometimes it’s quite stressful – you see all that and how big it is, but you’ve got to make sure you enjoy it as well as getting nervous!'

The skipper of the all-female crew might be feeling a little anxious on the eve of her first campaign, but at the other end of the spectrum, Team Brunel’s Bouwe Bekking has notched up half a dozen Volvo’s already – and he’s making no bones about it: his team is here to win.

'Yes, we’d like to win this first race,' says the Dutchman. 'It’s really important for the group spirit, and like I always say, you’re only as good as your last result!'

'This is my seventh race, and the circus around it gets bigger and bigger. I know all the sailors around the world follow this race because it’s the best race on the planet.'

Sunset over the pontoon in the Village of the Volvo Ocean Race. © Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Ah, the circus. Roll up, roll up, for the greatest show on earth - at Volvo Ocean Race