Volvo Ocean Race Is Newport-Bound

Leg 8 of the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race got underway off Itajaí, Brazil, yesterday bound for Newport, Rhode Island. The 5,700-nautical-mile-long run takes sailors around the eastern end of Brazil, through the doldrums and across the Equator and then through the western Atlantic Ocean to Newport.

By Soundings Editors

April 23, 2018

Newport, Rhode Island, is gearing up for the arrival of the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race (VOR), which kicked off from Itajaí, Brazil, yesterday. Seven Volvo Ocean 65s crossed the Leg 8 starting line at 2 p.m. local time, beginning a 5,700-nautical-mile-long sprint that should take approximately 18 days to complete.

It was questionable whether Team SHK/Scallywag and Vestas 11th Hour Racing would make the Leg 8 start, but both started on time. Scallywag retired from Leg 7 after tragically losing crewmember John Fisher overboard and Vestas 11th Hour Racing pulled out after dismasting near the Falkland Islands. This video shows the start of racing in Brazil yesterday.

The Newport Race Village opens May 8, and the fleet is expected to arrive sometime around May 11. Teams will battle it out during the Newport in-port race May 19 and Leg 9 racing to Cardiff, Great Britain, will get underway May 20. You can follow the progress of the race using VOR’s race tracker. For more information on the Newport stopover, visit the Newport Stopover page.