Volvo Ocean Race

Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) is a yacht race around the world. Held every four years the race takes the competing yachts through some of the worst sailing conditions there are.

In 1972 England's Whitbread[?] company and the British Royal Naval Sailing Association[?] agreed to sponsor a globe-circling regatta, which would be called the Whitbread Round the World Race (later renamed the Volvo Ocean Race).

The first race started off from Portsmouth, England on September 8, 1973. Seventeen yachts of various sizes and shapes took part. During the race three sailors were swept over board, never to be seen again.

For the 2001-2002 race the sponsorship of the race being taken over by Volvo. The race was renamed the Volvo Ocean Race. Stopovers were added in Germany, France, and Sweden being the Volvo's three biggest car markets in Europe.

The 2001-2002 race consisted of legs between Southampton, England - Cape Town, South Africa - Sydney, Australia - Hobart, Australia - Auckland, New Zealand - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Miami, United States of America - Baltimore, United States of America - La Rochelle, France - Goteborg, Sweden - Keil, Germany.

The next Volvo Ocean Race will start in Europe in the autumn of 2005.

External Links

• http://www.volvooceanrace.org/
• http://www.nationalgeographic.com/volvooceanrace/