Ocean crews braced for a real battering

AS the six boats of the Volvo Ocean Race prepare to start the first of 10 legs in this 39,000-mile competition, the crews are bracing themselves for an immediate battering from gales reminiscent of the 2005 race, with widespread damage across the fleet and one boat forced to retire.

Today’s fleet should, in theory at least, prove more resilient and all six will deliver a spectacular start in the ideal reaching conditions forecast for the 1pm (Irish time) start. The event will be broadcast live on television and streamed on the internet.

As five of the six are third generation boats, the designs have been refined to such a level that predicting a winner is a fierce task.