Leg One of the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race kicked off on Sunday, with seven teams sprinting 1450 nautical miles out of the bay of Alicante, Spain. Fighting for every meter, the fleet got underway with 15-20 knot breezes while being cheered by hundreds of spectators.
Expected to arrive in Lisbon, Portugal, by Oct. 28, the teams will be tested during their voyage by weather conditions that can vary from light breezes to storm force winds, as well as navigational challenges such as the Straits of Gibraltar, which has a strong current running through a very busy eight-mile wide channel.
This video from the Volvo Ocean Race shows highlights of the team’s departure from Alicante during Leg One:
During Leg 2, the teams will depart Lisbon on Nov. 5 and sail approximately 7,000 nautical miles to Cape Town, South Africa. The race will visit 12 cities in 6 continents in total, finishing in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30, 2018. You can track the teams and learn more about the Volvo Ocean Race by visiting volovooceanrace.com.
