Please select your home edition
Edition
Armstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - TOP

Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 – Schedule announced

by Volvo Ocean Race on 20 Apr 2010
The course and dates for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 have been officially announced today. This edition of the race will see a new format for the racing programme in the host cities, including the start city of Alicante, Spain and finish city of Galway, Ireland. For the first time, the Volvo Ocean Race will finish with an In-Port race in Galway.

The iconic islands of the Azores in the Atlantic, Fernando de Noronha off the Brazilian coast and the Fastnet Rock, the southern most point of Ireland, all make an appearance on the course.

The new racing schedule for the stopovers will conclude with an action-packed long weekend in the host cities. 'We had two aims when changing the stopover programme,' said Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race. 'Firstly we have reduced the time the teams are onshore and the time they have between the In-Port race and the Leg start.

Traditionally the teams would change their yachts from an offshore sailing mode to an inshore racing one and back again for the Leg start. By bringing the two events together we lower the costs to them and their sponsors. In fact, we have also achieved more time for the shore crews to work on the yachts and subsequently the sailors get more time off.'

'Secondly we can entertain the local public with the spectacle that is the Volvo Ocean Race on the water, for a long weekend of great racing and thrilling viewing. We hope by providing the local spectators with this on-the-water display, we will increase the public’s awareness and passion for the sport of sailing.'

The Pro-Am races will be first on the agenda for the weekend, where the sheer power of the yachts and the onshore glamour of the race are showcased to the public and race guests. These races do not count to the teams’ overall points.

The second day sees the Volvo Ocean Race teams battle it out in two In-Port races, which count to their overall scores. The short course of the In-Port races and the proximity to the stopover harbours and beaches, will allow the public to watch the exciting racing up close, as the teams push the yachts to the limits trying to gain the important extra points.

The finale to the long weekend is the Leg start, where the teams say farewell to the host city and begin the offshore battle to the next destination.

The start and finish ports also have a new look schedule. Alicante will have a week of festivals between the In-Port and Pro-Am race weekend and the start of Leg one to the popular host city of Cape Town, South Africa.

Galway will be the first finish city in the race’s history to hold an inshore race after the final leg. This will not only give the teams a chance to add valuable points to their overall scores but also allow the enthusiastic Irish fans to enjoy the racing on Galway Bay.

There will be no scoring gates in this edition of the race but the fleet will still pass round some famous islands on their course round the world. Leg one will see the fleet pass the island of Fernando de Noronha, 200 nautical miles off the Brazilian coast as the first proper rounding mark of the race.

Due to increasing pirate attacks and hijacking off the coast of Somalia, the fleet will sail around an exclusion zone, which will be added to this area nearer race time to help reduce the risk to the yachts.

On Leg eight from Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France the fleet heads offshore again for a 1,940 nautical mile leg, rounding the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores before heading back towards the northwest coast of France.

The Fastnet Rock is the last landmark the sailors will sail around before their final sprint up the west coast of Ireland, to the finish in Galway.

The race will visit eight stopover ports on five continents and race through four oceans, in under nine months. The Volvo Open 70’s will cover over 39,270 nautical miles racing around the globe.

Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 racing schedule

Event

Start Port

Finish Port

Start Day

Start Date

Estimated Finish Date

Nautical miles

Pro-Am Race

Alicante

-

Sat

29-Oct-11

 

 

In-Port Race

Alicante

-

Sun

30-Oct-11

 

 

Leg 1

Alicante

Cape Town

Sat

05-Nov-11

25-Nov-11

6500

Pro-Am Race

Cape Town

-

Fri

09-Dec-11

 

 

In-Port Race

Cape Town

-

Sat

10-Dec-11

 

 

Leg 2

Cape Town

Abu Dhabi

Sun

11-Dec-11

01-Jan-12

5430

Pro-Am Race

Abu Dhabi

-

Thu

12-Jan-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Abu Dhabi

-

Fri

13-Jan-12

 

 

Leg 3

Abu Dhabi

Sanya

Sat

14-Jan-12

04-Feb-12

4600

Pro-Am Race

Sanya

-

Fri

17-Feb-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Sanya

-

Sat

18-Feb-12

 

 

Leg 4

Sanya

Auckland

Sun

19-Feb-12

08-Mar-12

5220

Pro-Am Race

Auckland

 

Fri

16-Mar-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Auckland

 

Sat

17-Mar-12

 

 

Leg 5

Auckland

Itajai

Sun

18-Mar-12

04-Apr-12

6705

Pro-Am Race

Itajai

 

Fri

20-Apr-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Itajai

 

Sat

21-Apr-12

 

 

Leg 6

Itajai

Miami

Sun

22-Apr-12

06-May-12

4800

Pro-Am Race

Miami

 

Fri

18-May-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Miami

 

Sat

19-May-12

 

 

Leg 7

Miami

Lisbon

Sun

20-May-12

31-May-12

3590

Pro-Am Race

Lisbon

 

Fri

08-Jun-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Lisbon

 

Sat

09-Jun-12

 

 

Leg 8

Lisbon

Lorient

Sun

10-Jun-12

17-Jun-12

1940

Pro-Am Race

Lorient

 

Fri

29-Jun-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Lorient

 

Sat

30-Jun-12

 

 

Leg 9

Lorient

Galway

Sun

01-Jul-12

03-Jul-12

485

Pro-Am Race

Galway

 

Fri

06-Jul-12

 

 

In-Port Race

Galway

 

Sat

07-Jul-12

 

 

Reserve Day

Galway

 

Sun

08-Jul-12

 

 

 

Mackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMC-Tech 2021 America's Cup 728x90 BOTTOMSea Sure 2025

Related Articles

SailGP's return to Auckland for Season 6 confirmed
ITM is the NZ's Grand Prix's Title Partner, marking a fourth year supporting Black Foils. After a record breaking debut, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix Auckland has been confirmed to be returning in 2026 and is set to be bigger than ever.
Posted on 26 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike.
Posted on 26 Jun
Pip Hare Announced as Patron of WORLDSTAR 2026
A meaningful return to her roots with the Royal Western Yacht Club of England The Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) is absolutely delighted to welcome solo ocean racing legend Pip Hare as the Patron of WORLDSTAR 2026—our flagship round-the-world sailing event. This is more than a title; it's a homecoming.
Posted on 26 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 7
British mixed dominance in dinghy and catamaran After the second day of the Sailing Grand Slam in the Olympic mixed classes, Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris are leading the 470 class even more dominantly than John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the Nacra 17 on Thursday (June 26).
Posted on 26 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma day 1
Cervo and Open Season take opening day honours The Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 swung into action today, with captains and crews across the varied and inspiring fleet seizing the opportunity to take the measure of the competition out on the racecourse.
Posted on 26 Jun
J/70 Mixed-Plus Worlds at Lake Garda Day 1
Yupi leads after a perfect opening day in Torbole Lake Garda delivered its finest conditions for the opening day of the first-ever J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship: three races completed in a steady, warm Ora breeze peaking at 20 knots.
Posted on 26 Jun
Tschüss 2 - Transatlantic Titans
Line Honours for Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 in the Transatlantic Race 2025 Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), owned by Christian Zugel and co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has taken Line Honours in the West to East Transatlantic Race 2025 in an elapsed time of 07 Day 15 Hrs 29 Mins and 10 Secs.
Posted on 26 Jun
Craig Wood Makes History
The first triple amputee to sail solo non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Craig is the first triple amputee to sail solo non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific, completing the 7506nm journey from Mexico to Japan in 90 days.
Posted on 26 Jun
NTG Global Graduate Program
Shape your career and propel yourself into the world of innovation North Technology Group, a global leader in advanced composite technology, is offering an exciting and dynamic graduate program that will shape your career and propel you into the world of innovation.
Posted on 26 Jun
Tight racing at ORC North American Championship
Two days of racing remain before titles awarded in three classes With three days of racing completed over 7 Windward-Leeward courses, the scorelines are filling up for all three classes competing in the first ORC North American Championship at Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week.
Posted on 26 Jun