Team Vestas on the first day of the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race
The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race kicked off in Lisbon on 5 November with strong winds of up to 30-knots forecast for the first night of the marathon 7,000 nautical mile journey to Cape Town, South Africa.
The seven competing boats will head offshore from the North Atlantic, through the Doldrums – an area around the Equator where the prevailing winds are calm – and in to trade winds before completing the leg in around three weeks’ time.
Throughout this epic challenge race fans around the world will able to get all the latest news from the boats and witness the extreme ocean conditions for themselves – made possible by Inmarsat.
As official Satellite Communications Partner to the Volvo Ocean Race for a fifth consecutive edition, each team’s Onboard Reporter (OBR) is able to capture the highs and lows of the race and send back incredible footage and photos from the boats to showcase one of the world’s toughest sailing competitions.
And for the first time, all team members will have a Crew Communicator to post content on social media and bring their real-life experience offshore ashore to a global audience.
At the end of every leg, the Inmarsat Communications Award will be given to the team who engaged and entertained us on their social channels. During the stopover in Lisbon, we were delighted to name the first recipient of the award to Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallyway for its engaging and impactful content during Leg 1 from Alicante to Lisbon.
Each Volvo Ocean 65 is kitted out with a FleetBroadband 500 antenna and two FleetBroadband 250 antennas so that they can stream footage back to race HQ in Alicante and post on the team’s social media channels.
In addition, our reliable broadband connectivity gives the crews access to real-time electronic charts and weather reporting to track the best course, as well as applications such as video conferencing and telemedicine.
Our Global Maritime Distress Safety System, Inmarsat C, is also on board each boat, along with and two IsatPhone 2 satellite phone in the liferaft grab pack, to provide vital safety services in the case of an emergency.
Follow all the race action and get the latest news from the boats here: volvo.inmarsat.com
