2014 -15 Volvo Ocean Race - Cape Town, here we come!

by Jon Bramley on 12 Oct 2014 2014 -15 Volvo Ocean Race - It's a long, long way to Cape Town from Alicante - but our seven-strong fleet set off today after an emotional send-off from families and some 50,000 fans packing the dockside.

In moderate but building breezes under an overcast sky following days of scorching weather, Team Brunel had the honour of leading the boats out of Alicante with another of the pre-race favourites Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and the rest of the fleet in hot pursuit.

The Dutch boat, led by six-time race veteran Bouwe Bekking, nosed ahead after Team Alvimedica and Team SCA had made it quickest to the first pin.

By just after 1505, an hour into the race, it was still desperately tight with Brunel no more than a few hundred metres clear of Abu Dhabi, and MAPFRE third. The boats are expected to take about three weeks to reach Cape Town.

The women of Team SCA had slipped back a little after a tacking error lost them ground in changeable winds.

'It's been incredible in the city for these past days,' said Iker Martínez, skipper of the Spanish entry, MAPFRE.

'The crew has not been able to walk down the dock without someone coming up to wish us good luck.'

Leg 1 from Spain to South Africa is traditionally one of the toughest in the nine-month, 38,739-mile challenge - in the past we've had broken boats not to mentioned shattered egos - as the Mediterranean and Atlantic have given the fleet an early battering.

Just three years ago in the last edition for the 2011-12 race, two boats had to be nursed back to shore within 24 hours after an opening night Med storm led to a broken mast and a delaminated bow.

Those kind of breakages were part of the driving forces, along with pushing down costs, for the introduction of the new, one-design Volvo Ocean 65 which was built with durability as well as speed in mind.

We don’t expect the carnage of the opening day in 2011, but the crews will know from the get-go that they’re in the thick of the toughest offshore competition in the world.

For the nine days of the Alicante Race Village opening, blue skies and tens of thousands of fans have combined to give the Race's home port a buzz it has not experienced since moving here some six years ago.

All 66 sailors have been thrust into the limelight as not often seen in the sport and they could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief after finally escaping the crowds for opening circuits of the Alicante port before heading out to the open seas.

But they won’t be able to relax for long, if at all.

The weather forecast predicts rains from around 2200 local time (2000 UTC) tonight followed by high winds tomorrow.

From Alicante, they will head for the Straits of Gibraltar and then out to the Atlantic.

Hold on to your hats – it’s going to be a helluva ride for 6,487 miles to Cape Town. And you can fellow every step both here on the official site and on our great new app:

Yup, we’re back on the ocean waves, folks!