Southampton sailor Ian Walker’s bid to become the first Englishman to win the Volvo Ocean Race is hotting up.
The Azzam Abu Dhabi boat, skipper by Walker and navigated by fellow Southampton sailor Simon Fisher, leads the seven-strong fleet with under 1,000 nautical miles to go in the first leg of the epic round the world race.
The first leg between Alicante in Spain and Cape Town in South Africa is reaching its climax in the challenging Southern Ocean. Dongfeng Race Team are hot on the heels of Walker with a distance of just six nautical miles between the two crafts and the gap shortening.
Another local sailor, Sam Goodchild, is on Spanish boat MAPFRE, currently in sixth place. He is facing a losing battle to catch up with Team Alvimedica who are over 300 nautical miles ahead of them.
In last place are Team SCA, the all-female crew with Hamble’s Sam Davies as their skipper and Gosport’s Dee Cafari part of the crew.
The competition is set to finish in June when the fleet of seven boats is expected to arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here