Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race
With the fleet headed to Gibraltar, we will start to shift into offshore coverage mode with position reports every three hours at (GMT) 01:00, 04:00, 07:00 and so on.
You can now follow the progress of the fleet via data tracking on our Race Viewer
Virtual Spectator has delayed the launch of their race viewer due to technical issues.
17:50: Now they've cleared the coast, the fleet have all been headed, with the breeze veering round to easterly. They are now almost on course to the Straits, and still on starboard gybe - hurtling downwind in 25 knots of breeze, averaging around 20 knots of boatspeed, and I'd imagine they all have the 'big gear' up, the masthead spinnakers. It's going to be an exciting night.
17:50: Latest positions:
1. PUMA
2. Ericsson 4 – Distance to Leader (DTL) 1.30
3. Ericsson 3 – DTL 2.26
4. Green Dragon – DTL 4.92
5. Delta Lloyd – DTL 6.37
6. Telefonica Black – DTL 5.63
7. Telefonica Blue – DTL 6.66
8. Team Russia – DTL 18.52
17:30: PUMA still lead the way, Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3 squabble over second and third. Followed by Green Dragon and Team Russia holding sixth.
17:30: Latest positions:
2. Ericsson 4 – Distance to Leader (DTL) 1.12
3. Ericsson 3 – DTL 1.34
4. Green Dragon – DTL 3.95
5. Telefonica Black – DTL 5.42
6. Team Russia – DTL 6.67
7. Telefonica Blue – DTL 7.69
8. Delta Lloyd – DTL 11.36
17:00: We now have some data from Team Russia. They are in fifth position with a DTL of -4.20 to PUMA. More soon.
17:00: Latest positions:
2. Ericsson 3 - Distance to Leader (DTL) 2.01
3. Ericsson 4 - DTL 3.81
4. Green Dragon - DTL 5.66
5. Telefonica Blue - DTL 6.04
6. Telefonica Black - DTL 8.37
7. Delta Lloyd - DTL 9.96
8. Team Russia - No Data at the moment, but they've gone inshore and may have made a gain - temporary or not remains to be seen.
16:55 Telefonica Blue were the first to gybe to starboard, and Green Dragon went shortly afterwards to head inshore with them. Everyone else is still holding to port gybe and headed south out into the Med. But the easterly group now seem to be trying to sail a little lower, and are closing the leverage - that's just allowing PUMA to consolidate her lead.
PUMA are leading a group of four boats, sailing a little lower and to the west. In their track are Ericsson 3, Telefonica Blue and Team Russia. The other half of the fleet is sailing a bit higher and more easterly, led by Ericsson 4, with Green Dragon, Telefonica Black and Delta Lloyd. Conditions still breezey, around 25 knots from the north-east. The different courses probably reflect different sail choices.
15:45: Ericsson 4 have led away from the Islas Hormigas, but PUMA made gains by staying closer inshore and are now through into second, just 0.3 mile from the lead. These two have a little gap back to the fleet, with Ericsson 3 up to third, 3.5 miles behind her sistership. Then comes Green Dragon, five miles behind Ericsson 4, and the boat that's lost the most on this headland at the moment is Telefonica Blue, down to fifth and nearly seven miles off the lead. Telefonica Black is a mile and a half behind with Delta Lloyd in seventh another couple of miles back. Team Russia is another two miles behind her. Everyone on port gybe at the moment, heading offshore ...
15:30: Ericsson 4 are just six miles from the Islas Hormigas. From there the course alters to the south-west. That will open up some options, the fleet can either continue out to sea on port, or gybe and head along the coast on starboard. At the speed they are going, it won't be long before they have to make those choices ...
15:10: The fleet are headed south to Islas Hormigas, about two thirds of the way from Isla Tabarca, broad reaching in a 25 knot north-easterly. Ericsson 4 have the lead, with Telefonica Blue just over a mile behind, and PUMA in third, half a mile behind the Spanish.
Then we have Green Dragon, pulled through into fourth, four miles off the lead, and at the front of the next pack of boats. Then at half a mile intervals behind the Dragon we have Ericsson 3, Telefonica Black and Delta Lloyd, with Team Russia bringing up the rear.
14:25: The frigate is turning back, so we have a final update from Knut. It's still blowing 25+ knots out there, and the warship was doing 27 knots and only just catching the leaders when she turned back towards Alicante - so we reckon that the boats are doing 22-24 knots of boatspeed.
Still leading is Ericsson 4, with Telefonica Blue a close second, and PUMA about a mile behind them. These boats are starting to shake out the reef that they had in for the upwind beat at the start. Ericsson 3 are fourth, and Telefonica Black and Green Dragon are still battling for fifth, only four to five boat lengths between them. Green Dragon are to leeward with the bigger sail up - it looks like a masthead (Code 0) reaching sail. Delta Lloyd have a smaller sail but appear to be hanging onto these two, and bringing up the rear is Team Russia, flying a spinnaker.
14:20: There's a big battle shaping up for fifth, with Green Dragon and Telefonica Black pushing hard. Green Dragon has more sail area up and at this angle of sail it looks like it has taken them past the Spanish and given them a lead of a couple of hundred metres. Meanwhile at the front of the fleet, we have Telefonica Blue with a charge on, and going after Ericsson 4. These guys are really motoring now...
14:10: An update from the warship - Principe de Asturias - that fired the starting gun, with Knut Frostad, four time race veteran and race CEO. He is positioned on the offshore side of the island of Tabarca, and the fleet are smoking through the inside channel. Ericsson 4 still have the lead, but PUMA have slipped back to third. The headsail that they hoisted at the final turning mark turned out to be the wrong sail, when the breeze shifted on that leg Telefonica Blue came powering through with a bigger sail up. PUMA were slow to change, they had to do it 'bare-headed' (changing without any sail up forward of the mast) and it cost them a lot. So Telefonica Blue now in second, PUMA third, then Ericsson 3, Green Dragon (making big gains with a big chute up) and then Telefonica Black.
13:45: It's Ericsson 3 going round in fourth, followed by Telefonica Black. Green Dragon have moved up a place to sixth, with Delta Lloyd rounding in seventh and then we'll see Team Russia last to leave the bay.
13:35: PUMA changed to a reaching sail from the masthead spinnaker on the last gybe, just to simplify their boat handling. They've lost a little as a consequence, with Ericsson 4 able to just gybe round the mark with the same sail up.
Although Ericsson 4 understood their final layline and were a little slow on the approach. But now they're up and rolling and off - leading out of the bay and on their way to Gibraltar, chased by PUMA and then Telefonica Blue.
13:33: Ericsson 4 with the small spinnaker up, PUMA with the 'big gear' - the masthead hoisted full-size chute. While behind them and making losses is Ericsson 3. They look to have some sort of Code 0 up, I think I saw them furl it for the gybe. Three leaders, three different sails, and PUMA are the boat making tracks. And it's probably not the last time I'll use that pun ...
13:30: Ericsson 4 go round the windward mark first, they overstood a litte, but it's a good hoist. PUMA and Ericsson 3 go round next, with Ericsson 3 overlapped on the inside as they hoist - inshore battles on this 6,500 mile leg. Next is Telefonica Black, followed by her sistership.
Then Team Russia and Delta Lloyd, with Green Dragon just getting inside her at the mark. That big headsail and offshore option didn't work for Green Dragon.
13:20: Green Dragon finally tack, headed back to the rest of the fleet. But it does look like the left-hand side of the beat might have paid - perhaps a shift, perhaps slightly flatter water inshore.
13:17: Hard to tell from the angles we've got at the moment, but if I was to take a punt I'd say Telefonica Blue have converted that great start into a lead ... but I'm preparing to be contradicted as soon as they get to the mark. Everyone still hammering upwind in big seas, not quite boat breaking stuff but it's getting up there. Green Dragon the only boat I can see with a full hoist headsail.
13:12: Green Dragon are the most offshore, they started on port and headed out that way and have stuck to their guns - everyone beating upwind with the coast on their left (that's port for the yachties). They have a bigger headsail up and seem to be sailing a little lower than everyone else.
13:05: Telefonica Blue got the best start of this first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race - and I think it's fair to say that Delta Lloyd were last off the line - every one is reefed, and it's blowing about 25-30 knots.
Start: 13:00: They're off.
This time Sanderson is watching on the water from the relative comfort of a VIP boat. Nice work if you can get it. Also providing colour commentary for the Volvo Ocean Race team is Lisa McDonald (wife on Neal on Green Dragon), a competitor in 1997-98 and 2001-02.
But first things first, as Mike Sanderson, the race winner in 2005-06 put it: "The guys have to remember that this is a marathon. The objective is to get through tonight and take it from there."
Welcome to the start of Leg One of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race. What lies ahead is 6,500 nautical miles from Alicante to Cape Town.
Sat 11 October 2008 12:45:00 (UK) 11:45:00 GMT 13:45:00 (local)