The start of the next eight months

Gearing up for tomorrow's In Port race, the opening clash of the Volvo Ocean Race

The Volvo Ocean Race gets underway off Alicante tomorrow with the first in-port race for the eight Volvo Open 70s.

New this year is that the In Port Race is to comprise two races, both short and both single lap windward-leewards with a gate in the middle of the upwind and downwind legs. The length of the race track will be guaged so that the duration of each race is just 50 minutes.

Sadly conditions tomorrow are going to be light. The high pressure over central Spain is set to divide in two tomorrow with the Bracknell charts for tomorrow lunchtime showing the more southerly bubble centred directly over Alicanite. The wind looks set to start in the northeast in the morning and veer southeast by the late afternoon. Except very little pressure.

Racing starts at 1300 local time.

Crew line-ups

DELTA LLOYD
1. Ger O’Rourke IRL, skipper
2. Matthew Gregory USA
3. Stu Wilson NZL
4. Stuart Molloy NZL
5. Gerd-Jan Poortman NED
6. Ed van Lierde NED
7. Bert Schandevyl BEL
8. Edwin O’Connor IRL
9. Martin Watts GBR
10. Ryan Houston NZL
11. Sebastian Col FRA
12. Mark Tighe IRL
13. Sander Pluijm NED - (media crew member)

ERICSSON 4
1. Torben Grael BRA - skipper
2. Jules Salter GBR- navigator
3. Brad Jackson NZL
4. Stu Bannatyne NZL
5. Horacio Carabelli BRA
6. Tony Mutter NZL
7. Joca Signorini BRA
8. Ryan Godfrey AUS
9. Phil Jameson NZL
10. Dave Endean NZL
11. Joe Spooner NZL
12. Brian McInnes CAN
13. Guy Salter GBR (media crew member)

ERICSSON 3
1. Anders Lewander SWE– skipper
2. Aksel Magdahl NOR – navigator
3. Thomas Johansson FIN
4. Rasmus Köstner DEN
5. Richard Mason NZL
6. Stefan Myralf DEN
7. Magnus Olsson SWE
8. Martin Strömberg SWE
9. Jann Neergaard DEN
10. Jens Dolmer DEN
11. Anders Dahlsjö SWE
12. Martin Krite SWE
13. Gustav Morin SWE (media crew member)

GREEN DRAGON
1. Ian Walker GBR – skipper
2. Ian Moore GBR- navigator
3. Damian Foxall IRL
4. Neal McDonald GBR
5. Anthony Merrington AUS
6. Phil Harmer AUS
7. Tom Braidwood AUS
8. Julien Crescent FRA
9. David Carr GBR
10. Freddie Shanks GBR
11. Justin Slattery IRL
12. Andrew McLean NZL
13. Guo Chuan CHI (media crew member)

PUMA RACING TEAM
1. Ken Read USA - skipper
2. Andrew Cape AUS - navigator
3. Michael "Michi" Müller GER
4. Rob Salthouse, NZL
5. Casey Smith AUS
6. Jerry Kirby USA
7. Jonathan McKee USA
8. Justin Ferris NZL
9. Sidney Gavignet FRA
10. Chris Nicholson AUS
11. Andrew Taylor NZL
12. Shannon Falcone ANT
13. Rick Deppe USA (media crew member)

TEAM RUSSIA
1. Andreas Hanakamp AUT - skipper
2. Wouter Verbraak NDL - navigator
3. Guillermo Atadil ESP
4. Stig Westergaard DEN
5. Jochen Wolfram GER
6. Rodion Luka UKR
7. Pedro Mas ESP
8. Oleg Zherebtsov RUS
9. Nick Bubb UK
10. Ben Costello NZL
11. Jeremy Elliott IRL
12. Cameron Wills RSA
13. Mark Covell UK (media crew member)

TELEFONICA BLUE
1. Bouwe Bekking DEN – skipper
2. Iker Martinez ESP – co-skipper
3. Simon Fisher GBR - navigator
4. Pepe Ribes ESP
5. Jonathan Swain RSA
6. Xabier Fernandez ESP
7. Jordi Calafat ESP
8. Laurent Pages FRA
9. Pablo Arrarte ESP
10. Daryl Wislang NZL
11. Carlo Castellano ITA
12. Federico Giovanelli ITA
13. Gabriele Olivo ITA (media crew member)

TELEFONICA BLACK
1. Fernando Echavarri ESP - skipper
2. Roger Nilson SWE - navigator
3. Jaime Arbones ESP
4. Maciel ‘Cicho’ Cicchetti ARG
5. Pablo Iglesias ESP
6. Antonio “Ñeti” Cuervas-Mons ESP
7. Javier de la Plaza ESP
8. Mike Pammenter RSA
9. David Vera ESP
10. Francisco ‘Pachi’ Rivero
11. Pedro Campos ESP
12. Jorge Ondo ESP
13. Mikel Pasabant ESP (media crew member)