Alicante - the Volvo Ocean Race

If you have been in Alicante recently, you may have noticed just a little bit of "sprucing-up" down by the port area. Over the past few months, the city has been living the countdown to the start of the 10th Edition of the Volvo Ocean Race with great enthusiasm and is now ready to offer the most spectacular start in the race’s history. Amongst other novelties, the route for this edition is the longest and most extreme to date. For Alicante, a maritime city par excellence, the sea and all things nautical are a way of life and the city intends to enjoy this experience to the full.
Today sees the official opening of the "Village" in the harbour of Alicante. So until the 11th of October, the start day of the Volvo Ocean Race, there will be 23 consecutive days to enjoy the entertainment, sport and excitement allowing visitors to live the Volvo Ocean Race experience first-hand.
The Route
There are 11 stopovers:

This edition includes new countries such as China, India or Russia in the longest route so far: 39,000 miles.

Port Event Date Distance
Alicante, Spain Leg In Port 4th October 2008
Alicante, Spain Etapa 1 Race Start 11th October 2008 6.500 n.m.
Cape Town, South Africa Leg 2 Start 15th November 2008 4.450 n.m.
Kochi, India Leg 3 Start 13th December 2008 1.950 n.m.
Singapore, Malaysia Regata In Port 10th January 2009
Singapore, Malaysia Leg 4 Start 18th January 2009 2.500 n.m.
Qingdao, China Regata In Port 7th February 2009
Qingdao, China Leg 5 Start 14th February 2009 12.300 n.m.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazi Regata In Port 4th April 2009
Rio De Janeiro, Brazi Leg 6 Start 11th April 2009 4.900 n.m.
Boston, USA Regata In Port 9th May 2009
Boston, USA Leg 7 Start 16th May 2009 2.550 n.m.
Galway, Ireland Regata In Port 30 May 2009
Galway, Ireland Leg 8 Start 30th May 2009 950 n.m.
Gothenburg, Sweden Leg 9 Start 14th June 2009 525 n.m.
Stockholm, Sweden Regata In Port 21st June 2009
Stockholm, Sweden Leg 10 Start 25th June 2009 370 n.m.
Saint Petersburg, Russia Race Finish 27th June 2009

Let the spectacle begin!