Volvo Ocean Race start - updated report

Out on the water off Vigo, James Boyd reports on the start

In theory - provided our 3G connection holds out - we will try to bring you updated reports from the start of the Volvo Ocean Race here from the water off Vigo. To see the updates press F5 while in Internet Explorer. Updates will appear at the bottom of this article. See the photos of the boats departing Vigo here.

11:50GMT - the boats have now left the harbour. Thousands of spectators came down to see the boats off, or possibly to see the King Juan-Carlos 1 of Spain and his daughter, the Infanta Cristina. The King shook hands with the crew and then took the wheel of movistar as she left the port. movistar skipper Bouwe Bekking regularly sails with the King on Bribon. At present the weather is very changable - overcast and as I write rainy. It is blowing around 10 knots.

11:57GMT - six of the VO70s were in Vigo for this morning's pomp and circumstance. The seventh, the excruciatingly namely Sunergy and Friends (ex Premier Challenge) was still in Sanxenxo last night finishing off her measurement requirements, getting her keel painted orange, etc. We understand this morning that two of her crew - Guy Salter and Mark Thomas - have walked and have been hurried replaced by two shore crew for this first leg.

12:00GMT - the Spanish Air Force aerial display, called the Blue Arrows are currently overhead. Looking out of the window of the media boats there are LOADS of spectator boats lying behind the exclusion zone area on the north side of the Ria. The official guesstimate on spectator fleet is 1,500... This is excessive - it is certainly several hundred.

12:05GMT - ABN AMRO One, have their mainsail up. The rest are just milling around. Still raining... grrr

12:14GMT - Brasil 1 have hoisted their main as have movistar and Ericsson. And now ABN AMRO Two.

12:25GMT - the boats are tooling around the start area still under mainsail alone. ABN AMRO One has headed up river slightly to 'inspect the course'. Dwarfing the rest of the spectator fleeton the north side of the river is an ancient looking aircraft carrier. On the shore side overlooking the start area there appears to be a grandstand - which is completely full of people

12:30GMT - 30 minutes to go until the start. Looking at the main - Pirates and Brasil 1 have the most extreme flat tops. The Australian Synergy and Friends boat has arrived from Sanxenxo. Race veteran Jeff Scott is behind the wheel. The boat has one of the fattest hulls in the fleet (preumably aimed at winning the leg into Melbourne) and has an enormous cabintop. The sun is making an appearance now.

12:39GMT - the game of waiting to see what headsail people are going to put up is over. Movistar have hoisted a genoa. The start is lining up to be a port tack reach up to the top mark up the river. Ericsson have also hoisted. The same blue jib with the cut out at the top of the leech that they used last Saturday. The winning sail... The wind is around 5 knots. Tonight it is forecast to be around 35...

12:50 Ten minute gun. The Aussies have got a genniker hoisted, but furled and are in the process of hoisting their genoa. All very Open 60.

12:55 A majority of the boats are lurking at the south end of the line. The ABN AMRO boats are mid-line.

13:00 And they're off. Brasil on the south side of the course, with Sunergy inside them. Ericsson, movistar and Pirates in the middle, the ABN AMRO baots behind. All have popped kites now, the two ABN AMRO boats using spinnaker sleeves.

13:05. Going up the river in around 5 knots. The wind aft of the beam. Pirates have pulled into the lead, with movistar following in their wake in third, Ericsson a nose ahead down to leeward. They are followed by ABN AMRO One (on the same line as the Pirates), Brasil 1 down to leeward, ABN AMRO Two (following the black boat) and Sunergy way back. Movistar have caught a gust and moved up to second.

13:10: Pirates have fallen into a hole and movistar have tried to take them to leeward. They have parked too... cayard is trying to sail a higher angle. Not a lot of breeze out here.

13:15: Pirates have heated up and are heading over to the northside of the river. THey off again in the lead. Movistar are following them. Ericsson is still in a light patch with ABN down to leeward of them. The wind has gone northwesterly. Pirates and movistar have gybed back from the north side of the river. They are sailing big angles. The Brasils - for it should their conditions - are having a nightmare, having chosen the south side of the course and got stuck. They are in last position behind the Aussies

13:20: Ericsson have found a little more breeze and have overhauled movistar and are catching the Pirates. Pirates have reached the south side of the river where the wind is soft. Movistar have gybed away - a good idea. Pirates appear to have parked (come on Jules...) Ericsson have overhauled them with a bit more pressure. Movistar are now back over on the north side of the course in the best pressure.

13:25 Movistar in the lead having gybed back from the north side of the river. Ericsson gybe back too and cross in front of the Pirates. This is an excellent demonstration of light wind sailing. Ericsson gybed short of Movistar and the Pirates and has kept better pressure. She's pulled into the lead!

13:30 Order at first mark (very little pressure - times approximate)
Ericsson 2:29:19
Pirates 2:30:15
Movistar 2:30:40
ABN AMRO Two 2:31:10
ABN AMRO One 2:32:10
Brasil 1 2:32:20
Sunergy 2:37:00

13:35: Boats now heading upwind. After a brief respite, the rain has returned. Ericsson lead still followed by the Pirates, movistar tacked on to starboard earlier and are now on the south side of the river, looking lifted. Breeze very patchy across the river. ABN One looking in better pressure mid-river than ABN Two and Brasil 1 to the south

13:40 Fully November weather now. Squall has come in, less vis, rain - too bad I have to be down below doing this. Ericsson is still leading int he middle of the river with the Pirates on their lane in third, movistar down to leeward. Some way behind is Brasil in fourth with ABN One to weather of them in fifth, ABN Two behind the Brazilians on the south side of the course and way back the Aussies.

13:45 Wow - the wind has really picked up. Movistar have come up to weather and have fallen in behind the Pirates now. Behind us as the wind has picked up ABN AMRO One has gone 'turbo' and overhauled the Brazilians. She is noticably faster . ABN AMRO Two may be catching Brazil too. The lead three are sailing along the anchor chains of the spectator fleet on the north side of the course. Still fully grey and yucky weather.

13:50 Pressure has dropped a bit and guess what - the Brazilians are closing in on ABN AMRO for fourth place again. Getting a bit lumpyt out here, so spelling my go imminently... The front three have slowed down a bit. Breeze now about 9 knots. We're just passing a marina on the south side and despite the miserable conditions there are thousands of spectators standing out on the mole

13:55 The seas has kicked up a lot now with the spectator craft - boats every where across the water. The vis is still way down - all gone very monochrome.... Heading out of the river on staboard the race is quite processional at the moment - Ericsson, movistar and the Pirates each with about 10 boat lengths between them, then a gap to ABN AMRO 1 with Brazil on their transom, bit of a gap followed by ABN AMRO 2 and then the Australians way back. The spectator craft have now completely broken from the exclusion zone and it is the big CHASE down the river. Wind has gone soft again. Rain has just stopped and it is brightening up .

14:00 Ericsson have almost parked. Wind completely dropped away and gone right big time. They have a code zero hoisted but furled. Both Pirates and movistar are heading up to keep pressure. Ericsson have unleashed their code zero on a furler. Movistar is doing likewise but from a spinnaker squeeze. pirates aren't sure...

14:10 movistar changed straight to a masthaed genniker. Ericsson still lead by struggling to change from code zero to masthead genniker. Pirates still on their fractional. The sun has put in an appearance, but there is a nasty squall coming in from the northwest. Ericsson have gybed off to the south side of the river. Ericsson have gybed back on to starboard heading out of the river again. movistar have gybed on to port.

14:15 movistar have gybed back. The Pirates have gybed south, still under their code zero. And we're heading back into port...