Marathon so far from plain sailing

There are any amount of hoary old legends associated with the seven seas and those who sail them and the Volvo Ocean Race is no different.

The story goes that Colonel Bill Whitbread of the renowned brewing family and Admiral Otto Steiner of the Royal Naval Sailing Association met over a pint in a smoky old Portsmouth pub in 1971 and worked out the concept for a round-the-world yacht race.

That may or may not be true. What followed is fact.