The six boats taking part in Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 set sail from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, China tomorrow, following a confident win for Team SCA in the in-port race.
Race organisers will be hoping for a less traumatic leg following the disastrous grounding of Team Vestas Wind in the Indian Ocean. The Danish team is now working towards rejoining the race from the Lisbon stopover for the final two legs culminating in Gothenburg around 27 June.
As Leg 3 begins, the leading trio are Team Brunel, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Dongfeng Race Team. Considered the trickiest of the nine-month race, the 4,670 nautical mile leg sees the boats having to negotiate their way through some of the busiest – and most polluted – waters in the world.
Throughout it they will be able to rely on Inmarsat, the official Satellite Communications Partner for the Volvo Ocean Race, delivering cutting-edge safety services, vessel tracking, audio and video communications and social media access to bring the race alive to millions of fans following it worldwide, as well as boosting crew members’ morale.
Each Volvo Ocean 65 boat is equipped with FleetBroadband 500 (FB500), FleetBroadband 250 (FB250) and Inmarsat C safety terminals, and has an IsatPhone 2 satellite phone stowed in its liferaft pack.
