NEWPORT – The Volvo Ocean Race will continue Sunday as the six boats depart for the 2,800-mile nautical mile journey to Lisbon.
Monday is the ninth anniversary of the day when Dutch sailor Hans Horrevoets lost his life in the 2005-2006 edition of the race. He was swept overboard on the same Atlantic leg, according to information from the Volvo.
While this leg is shorter than the six that preceded it, the sailors on Thursday talked about the perils of the North Atlantic stage.
Bouwe Bekking, of Team Brunel, summed up the threats at a press conference ahead of Sunday’s departure to the Portuguese capital.
“If you just look at history in this next leg, lots of rigs have been broken, a boat has sunk, a person has lost his life, and we know we’re going to Europe so people will push so hard on this leg,” he said.
His boat sank in the equivalent leg during the 2005-2006 race and his crew were rescued by Horrevoets’ teammates on board ABN AMRO TWO.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is the leader in the race so far. Bristol’s Charlie Enright is the skipper of the Team Alvimedica boat, which is in fourth place.
The Volvo Ocean Race Village opened May 5 at Fort Adams State Park. The boats will depart Sunday at 2 p.m.
The 38,739-nautical mile race ends June 27 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
On Saturday, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad will give a presentation to teams and race stakeholders at 9:30 a.m. outlining the future plans and strategy for the upcoming edition of the event.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing will have a special guest onboard on Saturday for the 2 p.m. Team Vestas Wind In-Port Race Newport – Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chára. The race lasts one hour around Narragansett Bay.
“I’m excited to get the chance to race with a winning team like ADOR,” said Chára. “Their performance so far in this race has been remarkable, and I’m looking forward to seeing them in action.”
