Volvo Ocean Race is the most prestigious and spectacular round the world marathon ocean yacht racing competition, seen as the ultimate in extreme adventure sporting. It is for the first time in its 35 year history that the Race is stopping over in India. 
The toughest of extreme adventure sporting: The Race will commence its round-the-world marathon sailing in October 2008 and cover more than 39,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports across the world. Starting from Alicante in Spain, it would stopover at Cape Town, Cochin, , Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and Stockholm, before reaching the finishing line at St.Petersburg. The teams arrive at Kochi from Cape Town Dec 3 and leave for Singapore Dec 13.The teams consist of professional sports men and sports women drawn from different countries. The participants require physical endurance and sheer grit of the highest order to deal with life at the extreme, as they race day and night for more than 20 days at a stretch in some of the legs, facing potential dangers such as gales and storms, ice bergs, ocean debris and the whales! The Race is thus, the ultimate in world class water-sporting competition on the extreme edge of adventure, drama and endurance.
Seven teams drawn from different countries of the world like USA, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Sweden and Spain have already confirmed their participation in the Race this year. The Race represents the ultimate in world class extreme adventure sporting competition - a unique mix of onshore glamour and offshore drama and endurance.
History
Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every four years - until upcoming edition which will start after just 3-year break. It's named after its sponsor, Volvo. Though the route is changed to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs Europe in September. The general route runs south through the Atlantic Ocean, around the tip of Africa, and then around the Southern Ocean. The worst weather conditions are usually encountered in this leg, where waves sometimes top 100 feet (30 m) and winds can reach 60 knots (110 km
/h). Competitors eventually round Cape Horn and turn back into the Atlantic for the trip back to England. The route generally covers in excess of 28,000 statute miles (45,000 km) over open ocean.
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". The race has been greatly modified in the ensuing thirty odd years, but remains true to its original goal: A test of will, courage and skill against the best (or more accurately, worst) nature has to offer. Along with the Vendée Globe , VELUX 5 Oceans Race and Global Challenge, the Whitbread (now Volvo Ocean Race) is the ultimate sailing adventure.
The toughest of extreme adventure sporting: The Race will commence its round-the-world marathon sailing in October 2008 and cover more than 39,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports across the world. Starting from Alicante in Spain, it would stopover at Cape Town, Cochin, , Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteborg and Stockholm, before reaching the finishing line at St.Petersburg. The teams arrive at Kochi from Cape Town Dec 3 and leave for Singapore Dec 13.The teams consist of professional sports men and sports women drawn from different countries. The participants require physical endurance and sheer grit of the highest order to deal with life at the extreme, as they race day and night for more than 20 days at a stretch in some of the legs, facing potential dangers such as gales and storms, ice bergs, ocean debris and the whales! The Race is thus, the ultimate in world class water-sporting competition on the extreme edge of adventure, drama and endurance.
Seven teams drawn from different countries of the world like USA, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Sweden and Spain have already confirmed their participation in the Race this year. The Race represents the ultimate in world class extreme adventure sporting competition - a unique mix of onshore glamour and offshore drama and endurance.
History
Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every four years - until upcoming edition which will start after just 3-year break. It's named after its sponsor, Volvo. Though the route is changed to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs Europe in September. The general route runs south through the Atlantic Ocean, around the tip of Africa, and then around the Southern Ocean. The worst weather conditions are usually encountered in this leg, where waves sometimes top 100 feet (30 m) and winds can reach 60 knots (110 km
/h). Competitors eventually round Cape Horn and turn back into the Atlantic for the trip back to England. The route generally covers in excess of 28,000 statute miles (45,000 km) over open ocean.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". The race has been greatly modified in the ensuing thirty odd years, but remains true to its original goal: A test of will, courage and skill against the best (or more accurately, worst) nature has to offer. Along with the Vendée Globe , VELUX 5 Oceans Race and Global Challenge, the Whitbread (now Volvo Ocean Race) is the ultimate sailing adventure.
Cochin (India) - Leg 3 START-13 December 2008 
The modern all weather and strategically located port of Kochi is a rapidly growing maritime gateway to peninsular India. Kochi offers a perfect blend of the quintessential charm of tradition and modernity. It is the fastest growing metropolis in the beautiful State of Kerala, truly “Gods Own Country”. Kochi is a major tourist destination attracting 1.3 million tourists every year from India and abroad, which is more than one fifth of the total tourists visiting the state of Kerala
The teams arrive at Kochi from Cape Town Dec 3 and leave for Singapore Dec 13.During the 10 days of the stay of the ocean race participants, a series of programmes will be staged here to promote the cultural heritage, tradition, culinary specialities and music of the State. The race starts in Alicante, Spain, Oct 4 and will cover 39,325 nautical miles over nine months and end in July 2009 at St. Petersburg, Russia. A race village will be created at the Cochin Port area and nautical and land-based activities will be staged during the events.
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