Thousands of people flocked to the Volvo Ocean Race, at Alicante Race Village for the start of the 2011-2012 race on 28th October, 2012. It is the first of the 10 host ports in this years Volvo Ocean Race. In the first in-port race at Alicante, the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team won first place, giving them an early lead over the remaining teams. This was a great victory for the team making an impressive debut to the Volvo Ocean Race.
Adil Khalid, the first Emirati in the race, waved the UAE flag proudly while their racing yacht Azzam crossed the finish line to claim the winning points. Their finish line time was 53 minutes and 44 seconds, a 14-minute lead over their rivals.
The last two weeks in Alicante have consisted of numerous activities to celebrate the six teams competing in the worlds toughest crewed yacht race, including a Rolling Stones tribute concert, a fireworks display, and an interactive Volvo Ocean Race Experience.
Like something from a Formula 1 grand prix, the Alicante Race Village is 40,000 square meters dedicated to entertainment with a program brimming with concerts, shows, exhibitions, sailing clinics, rides, fireworks and restaurants.
The centerpiece of the Race Village is the six 70ft Volvo Open 70 yachts and the crews that have raced them 39,000 nautical miles through the worlds toughest oceans.
Team Telefónica, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Team Sanya, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Groupama sailing team and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG Propulsion are the teams taking part. For the first time ever the team zones were open to the public allowing fans to watch master boat builders and design experts at work.
Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said: One of our objectives has been to transform the Volvo Ocean Race into a festival. On the water its a race and on land its a festival. Were not a football match where it lasts for 90 minutes and then you go home the Volvo Ocean Race is something to come to, experience, be seen at and ultimately enjoy.
The Race Village also provided the perfect place to watch the yachts race on October 29 when they locked horns in close-quarter combat meters from the shore and again on November 5 when the teams start their 6,500 nautical mile sprint to Cape Town, South Africa.
For the first time ever we are offering the opportunity to get up close with a Volvo Open 70, with a limited number of the public to be given dock side access to the fleet, said the Volvo Ocean Races Director of Operations Heather Sherer.
The third leg of the race will stop at Abu Dhabi with many exciting celebrations to start the New Year. To celebrate the journey and landing in the UAE for the first time, there will be a welcoming ceremony, in-port racing, city receptions, concerts, and entertainment all booked for the two-week event. The Abu Dhabi Ocean Race Village will be open from December 31 to January 16 with the Abu Dhabi leg starting from January 12 to 14.
The first competitive action in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 delivered a fantastic spectacle for fans in Alicante, on TV and online.
From Alicante, the fleet heads to Cape Town, then Abu Dhabi, Sanya in China, Auckland, Itaji in Brazil, Miami, Lisbon, Lorient then Galway.
In each stopover, there will also be in port racing to give spectators a taste of the boat’s incredible power and the crews’ skills.
Teams in 2011-12
Groupama sailing team skippered by French offshore legend Franck Cammas
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skippered by Ian Walker from Britain
PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG skippered by American Ken Read
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand skippered by Australian Chris Nicholson
Team Telefónica skippered by Olympic medallist Iker Martínez from Spain.
Team Sanya skippered by 2005-06 Volvo winner Mike Sanderson from New Zealand
