State-of-the-art fleet ready to sail

After two years of planning and development, a new fleet of round-the-world racing yachts begin the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante this afternoon.

Hopes are running high that the breakages and gear failures of the last edition can be avoided with a switch to matching ‘one-design’ 65-foot yachts.

Ireland has no team entry and after two editions that featured Galway as a stop-over and finishing port, the 39,000-mile race will not appear in Irish waters.

However, Cork’s four-times veteran and winner of the 2006 race Justin Slattery is racing with skipper Ian Walker for the third consecutive race in the hope of winning outright.

Walker first entered with Ireland’s Green Dragon that struggled with boat-speed issues in the 2008-09 race.

Three years ago on his second attempt, Walker’s team was dismasted on a stormy opening night and later had to miss a leg after the hull started breaking up.

But victory in the Round Britain and Ireland Race in August and a proven crew line-up on board the new Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing entry means Walker is widely regarded as the pre-race favourite.

A long lead-time for the Emirati team stands in contrast to Chris Nicholson’s Danish-flagged Team Vestas Wind that was announced barely three months ago.

The Australian skipper has a strong crew profile that includes Kerryman Brian Carlin on board as the multimedia reporter.

The Tralee native only recently finished sailing in the amateur Clipper Round the World Race after completing his first circumnavigation when he was short-listed from a worldwide list of 2,000 applicants.

Their first major test came in the light-airs In-Port race last weekend and while placing last of the seven boats, the dockside prediction in Alicante is that after a bedding-in period over the coming leg, the team will be competitive enough to feature on the podium over the coming 10 months.

When compared with a team like Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Vestas might easily be included in a second tier of teams in this race if it was a traditional race featuring unique designs.

However, these boats have all been built to a common design with matching sail wardrobes and shore facilities under new cost-control measures.

The list of teams also includes the first all-female crew since 2002 in Team SCA, led by single-handed sailor Sam Davies.

Battle-scarred and disappointed skippers from other editions of the race are also back hoping for a more competitive race using reliable boats including Bouwe Bekking from the Netherlands on Team Brunel and Spain’s Iker Martinez on MAPFRE. Martinez has French offshore sailor Michel Desjoyeaux on board as a watch-leader.

The 6,500-mile first leg to Cape Town begins at 1pm Irish time this afternoon with light winds forecast for the first week at sea.