Highs To Lows

Into the Med, headed for Gibraltar, headed for the Atlantic, headed for Cape Town. A 6,500 mile race and that's only leg one.

And what a send off.

We shook hands with the King of Spain and the Royal Family and left for the start line with Rage Against the Machine’s Bomb Track raging over our heads.

Carlos Sastre, Tour de France winner this year, joined us on board for the parade to the start. Interesting to hear his opinions on Lance Armstrong’s return to pro cycling, but this is no time to lose focus on the Volvo Ocean Race . . .

Because we are in it now for sure. Next goal: Clear the Med for the Atlantic. We are looking at 25-30 knots of wind, so we’re putting quick miles between ourselves and Alicante as we make for Gibraltar.

Delta Lloyd leaving Alicante: Photo by Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

The weather is the story for the next 36 hours. It has been windy, really windy. The night before the start, UB40 was supposed to play on stage, but the concert was canceled because the race organizers thought the stage would blow over during the show. Looking ahead, the big obstacle is a break-off low pressure system (the main low is out in the ocean to the west of Gibraltar) that may materialize and situate itself just to the east of the straights. This could turn very tricky late tonight. Or, it could fade and leave us a simple ‘point and shoot’ straight out of the Med.

Better not count on that.

The escort frigate turned back two hours after the start. No more photographers. No more escorts, at least until the Strait of Gibraltar. Delta Lloyd is pointing south with the speedo pegged at 28 knots.

This boat has legs!

Matt Gregory, from the nav station of Delta Lloyd


Editor's note: At SAIL, we may be adding images and notes as they become available from race organizers. It's early in the race and early in our process of helping Matt put this blog before his readers. We're making it up as we go, and it's a kick to share the adventure—Kimball