The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Seven confirmed entries for Volvo Ocean Race

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Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Seven confirmed entries for Volvo Ocean Race

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Volvo Ocean Race, an ocean marathon, will have a stopover in Kochi for 10 days from December 3, making it the first Asian port the race would visit.

The race will stop over in the country for the first time in the event’s 35-year-old history. Known as the ‘Everest of Sailing,’ the Race will start from Alicante, Spain, on October 4 and head for Cape Town followed by Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteburg and Stockholm before finishing in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June next.

The Cochin Port Trust is organising the stopover in conjunction with Kerala Tourism. Chairman of the Port Trust N. Ramachandran said the event would be a milestone in the sporting history of the country, especially Kerala, as the stopover positions Kochi as an international sailing hub. The race now has seven confirmed entries with crew racing aboard the Volvo Open 70, the world fastest monohull racing yacht. The teams are from Spain, Sweden, the U.S., Russia and Ireland.

Each racing yacht will be manned by a professional crew of 10, plus – for the first time this year — a non competing media specialist will be on board.

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