Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

Iconic offshore leg to Cape Town marks new phase of Volvo Ocean Race

by Volvo Ocean Race 4 Nov 2017 18:31 GMT 5 November 2017
Cape Town and the iconic Table Mountain have played host to all but two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, dating back to 1973 © Amory Ross / Team Alvimedica / Volvo Ocean Race

The Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 shifts into a new phase on Sunday with the start of Leg 2, a 7,000 nautical mile, three-week, marathon leg to Cape Town, South Africa.

It's one of the iconic legs of this offshore classic, as the teams transition from the North Atlantic, through the Doldrums, into the trade winds and may even dip a toe into the Southern Ocean before the finish in Cape Town, which has already been a stopover host 10 times.

The tactical options on the leg have been opened up this year by the removal of a traditional waypoint, the island of Fernando de Noronha, about 170 nautical miles off the coast of Brazil.

While teams often sail as far west as this to pick up the tradewinds earlier, it adds hundreds of miles to the route to Cape Town. Without this island as a mark of the race course, the shorter, but normally slower option of sailing further east, down the coast of Africa, may be in play.

"It's a very interesting one, maybe more interesting than in the past," said Charlie Enright, the skipper of Leg 1 winner, Vestas 11th Hour Racing. "You usually have to go nearly all the way to Brazil... 'West is best' as they say..."

But it's not clear that will be the case this time.

Read the tactial preview here

"I think (taking out the waypoint) changes things a lot," said Sun Hun Kai/Scallywag skipper David Witt. "I think this will be an interesting leg and I think you might see the biggest split you've seen for a long time in the Volvo Ocean Race. But we'll see what happens."

"For sure you can go more east," agreed Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier. "The difference is huge, but it's a danger (tactically). It's always a balance and it's always difficult to know where to go. It will be a nightmare for the navigators."

"Let's see. Hopefully the others will go the short way and we'll keep going west," said Xabi Fernández. "It's hard to know. It will be busy for (navigator) Juan Vila. But we trust his instincts and his work and hopefully we have a good crossing of the equator."

"It's a leg of 21 or 22 days with technical decisions to make every day," said Simeon Tienpont, the skipper of team AkzoNobel, who has added the experience of Chris Nicholson, Jules Salter and Peter Van Niekerk to his crew for this leg.

See the Leg 2 Crew Lists here

In contrast, for many of the rookie sailors spread across the teams, Leg 2 will be the longest they have been at sea, and a new experience of true offshore sailing.

"We have crew on board who have never been at sea for longer than six or seven days at a time," said Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari, who is shepherding some rookie offshore sailors through their first big ocean experiences on this leg. "So they will be on a steep learning curve. This is the first one where you get a little taste of everything."

Bouwe Bekking, sailing his eighth Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of Team Brunel, will take World Sailor of the Year and reigning America's Cup winning skipper Pete Burling on his longest offshore sojourn, including a first Doldrums crossing that traditionally calls for a visit from King Neptune.

"We're racing, but this is part of the tradition of the race, and that's important," Bekking said. "Someone like Peter Burling, there will be some nice footage of him, probably with a mohawk haircut or something like that... We have some extra items on board so that Neptune welcomes these guys properly."

But first there is the start, including an inshore leg up the Tagus River to the Lisbon city front, before the teams break to the Southwest for a drag race down to the warmer latitudes. The forecast is for 15 to 18 knot Northerlies on Sunday afternoon – it should be a fast start.

The first long leg of the 2017-18 edition – a 7,000nm Atlantic dive from Lisbon to Cape Town – begins on Sunday 5 November, and you can catch all the action live on our channels.

With a leg projected to take the fleet around 21 days to complete, a solid start is key – and the boats will battle for every inch as they leave the Portuguese city after a third consecutive stopover.

How to follow the start of Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race – Lisbon to Cape Town:

Race start time: 14:00 UTC

Watch it on the website and on the YachtsandYachting.com homepage.

Head to www.volvooceanrace.com at 1150 UTC for the sailors parade and dock out, and again at 1345 UTC for the racing, to catch a live stream of the action.

Check out Facebook Live:
We'll go live at 1150 UTC for the sailors parade and dock out, and again at 1345 UTC for the racing – you can visit our page to schedule a reminder so you don't miss it.

Join us on our live blog:
We'll be blogging all the moves and news from the racetrack on our live blog, including the best of clips and social content, from 1200 UTC. You can find it at www.volvooceanrace.com

Make sure you follow us on Twitter:
We're at @volvoooceanrace... and we'll be live tweeting the action, as well as sharing the best content from the teams, stakeholders and fans on our feed.

Download the app:
It's all-new, full of great content and fits on your mobile phone. Why wouldn't you want the official Volvo Ocean Race app? Head to the App Store or Google Play to download it. It's called Volvo Ocean Race.

Come down to the Race Village:
Based in the Doca Pesca in Lisbon, there's a fantastic Race Village and it's jam packed full of interactive elements, innovative structures and loads of exciting things to do.

Play the Game:
Test your skills against some of the best virtual sailors in the world with the Volvo Ocean Race Game. Play it here.

Related Articles

The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy 2025 overall
A weekend marked by strong winds, demanding seas, and top-level racing in Cascais The 6th edition of the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy came to a close this Sunday after a weekend marked by strong winds, demanding seas, and top-level racing in Cascais. Posted on 7 Jul
Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy 2025 Preview
International sailing & ocean conservation unite in Cascais From July 4 to 6, Cascais hosts the biggest sailing regatta of the year with a strong focus on sustainability. The Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy celebrates six years of diversity, competition, and environmental commitment. Posted on 30 Jun
Tschüss 2 - Transatlantic Titans
Line Honours for Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 in the Transatlantic Race 2025 Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), owned by Christian Zugel and co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has taken Line Honours in the West to East Transatlantic Race 2025 in an elapsed time of 07 Day 15 Hrs 29 Mins and 10 Secs. Posted on 26 Jun
Tschüss 2 powers ahead in Transatlantic Race
Her nearest rival, some 300 miles astern, is Oliver Kobale's VO65 Sisi Six days into the West-East Transatlantic Race, Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 Tschüss 2, co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has raced over 2,000 miles and is the clear leader for both Monohull Line Honours and the overall IRC win. Posted on 23 Jun
The Ocean Race will return to Itajaí, Brazil
During the 2027 and 2031 around the world races The Ocean Race confirms Itajaí, in Santa Catarina state, in Brazil will once again host the world's most iconic around-the-world yacht race in April, 2027 and again in 2031, in a two-edition hosting partnership. Posted on 16 Jun
Pip Hare joins Canada Ocean Racing
Sailing alongside Canadian skipper Scott Shawyer for The Ocean Race Europe Canada Ocean Racing is excited to announce that British offshore sailor Pip Hare will join their Be Water Positive campaign for the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe. Posted on 30 Apr
Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy returns
With the introduction of the high-performance TP52 class The prestigious Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy is set to return for its sixth edition from July 4-6, 2025, promising a thrilling weekend of top-tier sailing in one of Europe's most scenic and challenging maritime locations, Cascais. Posted on 24 Mar
The Ocean Race Europe to make stop in Nice, France
Visiting the Mediterranean coast of France for the first time this summer The Ocean Race Europe, the premiere fully-crewed, offshore sailing race for the foiling IMOCA Class, will visit the Mediterranean coast of France for the first time this summer. Posted on 13 Mar
The Ocean Race Europe will race into Portsmouth
Back in the game for the IMOCA race in the summer of 2025 The Ocean Race Europe, an offshore sailing race for the foiling IMOCA class, will include Portsmouth on the south coast of England, among its six stopovers. Posted on 16 Sep 2024