Team Russia reaches Alicante

Almost a full house now at the Volvo Ocean Race start port

Team Russia's Volvo 70 Kosatka reached Alicante this morning after its delivery trip from Portland, UK. This was the last offshore experience for the boat and the crew before the start of its round the world adventure. The preparation for the race is almost at its final point as all teams meet in Alicante before the first in shore race on 4 October.

Just after the arrival Team Russia's skipper Andreas Hanakamp was happy to share his latest views on the boat and the team: "It was a very enjoyable trip to complete before we begin the serious racing. In terms of preparation, it was very important to see again on a long distance leg how the boat and the team are performing. And I'm very, very happy about where we're in terms of boat performance, the team and how everything is coming together. We're near to accomplishing the building of a really great team.

"As for the boat performance, it's always a learning curve and that's also why we all love this sport. Of course we've now got a lot more information and knowledge about the boats performance, but we never stop learning more and more. And that will last through the whole race, this is the special feature of sailing!"