Volvo Ocean Race Is Off and Running
An estimated 50,000 race fans packed both the docks and harbor as the seven-boat 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race fleet set out on the event’s first offshore leg from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa.
An estimated 50,000 race fans packed both the docks and harbor as the seven-boat 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race fleet set out on the event’s first offshore leg from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa.
If there was ever any doubt Team Alvimedica and its young American leaders—skipper Charlie Enright and watch captain Mark Towill—were ready for the 2014-25 Volvo Ocean Race, those doubts were put to rest Saturday as the team won the opening in-port event in Alicante, Spain.
Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker on his team and the one-design Volvo Ocean 65
Even more than most offshore races, the Volvo Ocean Race requires that crews be at the top of the game from the moment the gun fires until they cross the finish line—and this is especially true of the 6,487-mile opening leg from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town.
In 2014-15, the sailors not only have to deal with an all-new boat and new stopover ports, there has also been a major change to the way the event is scored. What follows is a brief guide to the nuts and bolts of the 2014-15 VOR, so you’ll be able to follow the action out on the water that much better.
Morning starts early for 29-year-old Charlie Enright, a native of Bristol, Rhode Island, who is skippering Team Alvimedica in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. The lights flick on at 0600, an iPhone is tapped and a torrent of email begins before the young skipper is vertical.
At press time, the United States duo had just nine months to prepare for their 38,739-mile “lap.” The Volvo Ocean Race starts October 4 with an in-port race in Alicante, Spain.
U.S. Olympic sailor Sally Barkow has signed on with the Swedish-flagged SCA team, after months of helping work up its Volvo Ocean 65 one-design at the team’s base in Lanzarote, Spain, in anticipation of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race.
The 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race has not only been attracting more participants, it has also become more interesting for sailing fans in the United States.
The good news is that the Volvo Ocean Race has what looks to be a fast, super-sexy one-design boat for crews to compete aboard. The bad news is that at press time, with less than a year to go to the October 4, 2014, start in Alicante, Spain, only three teams had officially thrown their hats into the ring: China’s Team Dongfeng, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Sweden’s all-female Team SCA.

Though it’s perhaps the most well-known word in the nautical lexicon, many don’t know where the word “starboard” came from. What’s the etymological origin? A)

It’s a cliche but 2025 really was a year like no other—for me, for the magazine, and for the world. At this time last year,

Quorning and many other marine manufactures are based in Denmark’s Syddanmark region.

French luxury catamaran builder Outremer has announced two new models to be built in 2026, both expected to make their show debuts in 2027.

US Patriot Sailing advocate and solo ocean racer Ronnie Simpson will be the keynote speaker at this March’s offshore racing conference.

The days are shorter and the weather is colder, but don’t worry: Your next issue of SAIL is on the way.

American Sailing has announced the passing of CEO Jonathan Payne. Payne is remembered as a champion for the sport who worked tirelessly to support and

The Leopard 52 takes the eco-conscious design of its predecessor, the SAIL Top 10 Best Boats winning Leopard 46, and scales it up. The 52

Line honors have been awarded in both the 2025 ARC and ARC+ fleets.

Larger than the pre-existing models from Balance, this catamaran is the fastest and leanest in their line. It is designed to be light for performance