Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12

Dreaming of the sun on your face, wind in your hair, and the taste of salt on your lips?  Well, here’s something exciting for sailors to start planning for…

The Volvo Ocean Race will be back next year and the schedule has been announced.  For a sample of the action here’s the promo video from the 2008-2009 race, complete with lots of salt, adrenalin - and moments of sheer terror!

The Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 encompasses a completely new format over the nine months from start to finish.  It will provide for a long weekend in each port for in-port racing and festivities, giving spectators an opportunity to enjoy the spectacle of these magnificent racing yachts. 

If you are already hooked on sailing, or just curious to see what it’s all about, make a note of the dates so that you don’t miss any of the action happening at a location near you – or why not start planning a trip to one of the stopover ports. 

It all begins in Alicante, Spain on 20 October 2011 with a week of festivities, and finishes in Galway (W coast Ireland) with an in-port race on 7 July 2011. 

The course takes the sailors on an incredible odyssey of more than 39,000 n.m. 

• Leg 1:  5-25 Nov, 2011 – Alicante (Spain) to Cape Town (S. Africa)
• Leg 2:  11 Dec-1 Jan 2012 – Cape Town to Abu Dhabi (UAE)
• Leg 3:  14 Jan – 4 Feb – Abu Dhabi to Sanya (China)
• Leg 4:  19 Feb – 8 March – Sanya to Auckland (NZ)
• Leg 5:  18 Mar – 4 Apr – Auckland to Itajai (E coast Brazil)
• Leg 6:  22 Apr – 6 May – Itajai to Miami (U.S.)
• Leg 7:  20-31 May – Miami to Lisbon (Portugal)
• Leg 8:  10-17 June – Lisbon to Lorient (France – via Azores)
• Leg 9:  1-3 July – Lorient to Galway (via Fastnet Rock)

This 2011-12 race will be the 11th since the series began in 1973 – when it was known as the Whitbread Round the World Race.  For more information about the event visit the official website volvooceanrace.com.

Visit our Travel Guides section for more information about the destinations – and don’t forget to follow the links on each country page for the latest and very important Foreign Office (FCO) updates and advice. 

If you are a British national travelling within the EU, don’t forget your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) but this should never be used as a substitute for comprehensive travel insurance.