A handful of Hampshire-based sailors have started their bid to win the 12th staging of the Volvo Ocean Round the World Race.
Southampton pair Ian Walker (skipper) and navigator Simon Fisher are onboard Azzam Abu Dhabi, with the former aiming to become the first Englishman ever to skipper a winning boat in the competition.
Hamble’s Sam Davies (skipper) and Gosport’s Dee Caffari are two of the 12-strong all-female crew onboard Team SCA.
And Southampton-based Sam Goodchild is part of the Spanish boat MAPFRE.
Team Vestas Wind emerged as narrow leaders when daylight broke on the Mediterranean today after the first night of Leg 1, which began off the Spanish port of Alicante yesterday.
Team Vestas Wind onboard reporter Brian Carlin said: “We keep battling it out for the lead with MAPFRE.

Watch action from the opening day of the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean race.

“Team Brunel is out on the wings, the night will be long. A change in wind has already been causing some tactical moves within the fleet.
“Just after dark set in, a big left hand swing developed within minutes putting an all-hands-on-deck scenario for the crew. I suspect this to continue throughout the night.”
As of this morning, the Danish boat was still just two nautical miles clear of MAPFRE, with Walker’s Abu Dhabi a mile adrift of them and Dongfeng Race Team bringing up the rear.
During today just four nautical miles separated first from last as the fleet prepared for the transit through the Straits of Gibraltar and out into the North Atlantic.

The seven-strong fleet are expected to finish the round the world odyssey in Gothenburg, Sweden, next June.