Volvo Ocean Race

Review

Watch the replay of Alicante's Iberdrola In-Port Race in full HD click here

Final results:

Position / Team / Time / Point

1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / 53 minutes, 44 seconds /  6 points


2. Puma Ocean Racing powered by BERG / 1 hour, 7 minutes, 58 seconds / 
5 points


3. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand  / 1 hour, 10 minutes, 11 seconds / 4 points

4. Team Sanya / 1 hour, 10 minutes, 43 seconds /
3 points


5. Groupama sailing team / 1 hour, 11 minutes, 11 seconds / 2 points


6. Team Telefónica / 1 hour, 12 minutes, 08 seconds / 1 point


Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing surged to a commanding victory in the Iberdrola In-Port Race in Alicante, taking maximum points from the first competitive action in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 to gain an early advantage over their rivals.

The crew, led by British skipper and double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, roared home to a massive 14-minute win over their closest rivals to make it a dream debut for the first team from the United Arab Emirates to enter the race.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG were second, ahead of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand in third. Team Sanya edged Groupama sailing team in the battle for fourth and fifth, with Team Telefónica trailing home.

“It’s a great win -- I feel fantastic,” said Walker on board Azzam, the team's strikingly designed racing yacht. “It’s a great start for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. I don’t think it means too much but I said before we left the dock that whoever wins today’s race can go home with a spring in their step and look forward to the week ahead.”

The in-port race marked the start of the epic 39,000 nautical mile round the world race, tipped to be the most hotly contested edition in the event´s 38-year history. And after opening their account with a crucial win, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing will go into the first offshore leg with a maximum six points and a psychological advantage.

In-port races take place in all 10 Host Ports around the world, testing the crews’ skills at close-quarters manoeuvres and tactics. More than 20 per cent of all points are up for grabs in the in-port racing, which could prove vital when overall positions are decided. The races also provide a show for the millions of people who will watch the race worldwide.

Strong winds and pelting rain greeted the teams as they left the dock in Alicante, Spain, but by the time the start gun fired at 1400 local time (1200 UTC-GMT) the weather cleared with a 10-15-knot breeze blowing down the race course and the state-of-the-art Volvo Open 70s blasting along Alicante’s coast around the short inshore course.

An incredibly close start saw Abu Dhabi, CAMPER and Groupama lined up and equally matched, each looking for the slight advantage over their rivals. After weak starts, Telefónica and Sanya were left playing catch up.

As the yachts approached the first mark it was PUMA´s Mar Mostro with the inside track but sailing’s ‘rules of the road’ meant Ken Read’s team had to give way to Ian Walker’s crew and the United Arab Emirates’ first ever entry in the Volvo Ocean Race took the lead.

Slick crew work from Walker’s team saw them extend their lead during lap two. A nightmare rounding at the second mark saw CAMPER slip from second to fifth, a perfect example of how one mistake can cost dearly.

A dwindling breeze in Alicante Bay confounded the situation on the water as the teams struggled to keep their boats moving. The instability of the breeze led to the race committee shortening the course, and with a substantial lead over their opponents, victory was secured for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

With the race’s first ever Emirati, 22-year-old Adil Khalid, waving the flag of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s yacht Azzam crossed the line to claim the first points of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

Walker said a slick sail change at the second mark was the key moment. “We had practised it in training and we pulled it off,” he said. “It was a credit to everyone.”

In the final sprint to the line, Iker Martinez's Team Telefonica were looking good for fourth place - but close call with Mike Sanderson's Team Sanya ended in a penalty and last place for the Spaniards while Sanya jumped into fourth.

"I think the jury was not in the right place because the jury gave us a penalty,’’ Martinez said. “I think we could have finished fourth without the penalty.’’

However Sanderson, who won the Volvo Ocean Race in 2005-06 with ABN AMRO ONE, said it was a "fair move".

“I had them lined up pretty early on to be honest, I’m sure they’re a little upset with us but I was very comfortable that we had them locked," he said.

“They were a bit stuck though I guess. It’s a shame for them, but you know, we need to take them any way we can and I feel it was a fair move.”

The six teams now have one week to make the final tweaks to their yachts before they set off from Alicante bound for Cape Town, South Africa, the first of nine offshore legs. Leg one starts at 1300 UTC (1400 local time) on November 5 and is expected to take around 21 days to complete.

* Immediately on finishing, Groupama informed the race committee they were making a protest over the CAMPER forestay design. The jury rejected the protest.

Download:

- Iberdrola In-Port Race crew list

- Race Village leaflet and course maps

Preview

Alicante, Spain – The starting gun to the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 will fire on Saturday October 29 at 1200 GMT/UTC (1400 local time) in Alicante as six boats designed primarily to blast through the oceans battle for the first points, and an early psychological boost, in a quickfire inshore sprint.

Saturday’s Iberdrola In-Port Race marks the start of over eight months of full-on competition and intense rivalry between the six teams – Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Groupama sailing Team, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Team Sanya and Team Telefónica.

And while the Volvo Ocean Race is known as the world’s premier offshore sailing test, teams cannot afford to ignore the shorter form. In-port races take place in all 10 host ports along the 39,000 nautical mile route and deliver over 20 percent of the points. Sailed close to the shore, they provide a spectacle for the millions of people who will watch the race worldwide, while also providing opportunities to climb the leaderboard.

“There’s a lot riding on the in-port races – they are going to be intense,” said CAMPER helmsman/trimmer Adam Minoprio. The 26-year-old New Zealander is a newcomer to ocean racing but will be in his element inshore, having won the 2009 World Match Racing Tour.

“Team New Zealand has a great background with inshore racing and the skillset of the crew makes us a very strong team,” Minoprio added. “This week we sailed the in-port race course which took us an hour and everyone on board was exhausted after it. It works out we have to do a sail change every eight minutes so there will be a lot of hard work on board.”

Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker, who won silver medals at the Olympics in 1996 and 2000, said: “Everything is ready and we can’t wait to line up against the other teams. We have spent this week concentrating on inshore manoeuvres and it has gone very well. The forecast is for strong breeze on Saturday so there will be extra pressure on the crew to get it right.”

Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez, who picked up gold at the 2004 Olympics and silver in 2008, has the added boost of having his long-term crew Xabi Fernández alongside him.

Fernández, who fills the role of trimmer on the Volvo Open 70, said: “The boats aren't designed for this type of race but instead for ocean racing and the quickfire manoeuvres required in an in-port race are very complicated to perform. If you make one mistake you can lose a lot of ground and end up finishing last.”

Ken Read, skipper of PUMA’s Mar Mostro, said he has mixed feelings ahead of the first in-port race.

“It’s very clear how good everybody is so I guess I feel a little trepidation knowing that,” he said. “But we’re as good as we’re going to be and it’s time to get out there and put our money where our mouth is. Every point counts, and if you took the six teams right now and had a tiddlywinks contest it would be a blood match. Every point is huge.”

Making his debut in the Volvo Ocean Race, Groupama sailing team skipper Franck Cammas promised his team would put up a fight.

“This is what we are here for, to fight against these teams and these skippers,” he said. “It’s always a great fight because these people sail extremely well. They make very few mistakes and it’s hard to outsmart them but we will put up a fight.”

Despite being the only second-generation boat in the fleet, Team Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson can rest easy over his yacht’s inshore potential. In the 2008-09 race the boat, then raced as Telefónica Blue, placed on the podium in all seven in-port races with four wins.

“As Telefónica Blue, she was great in the inshore racing and a rocket ship upwind or tight reaching,” Sanderson said. “Hopefully we have kept 99 per cent of that and improved her performance for the heavy air stuff.”

The Iberdrola In-Port Race is expected to take around an hour to complete. Racing will be streamed live on the home page and will be accompanied by a live blog of the action.

HD live coverage for desktop browsers will also be available through the New Livestream platform, which includes video, photos, audio and text updates, at Livestream.

The first offshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Alicante to Cape Town, starts on November 5.

For a breakdown of the Volvo Ocean Race scoring system click here.

Download:

- Iberdrola In-Port Race crew list

- Race Village leaflet and course maps