DANKE GUANGZHOU!
The Volvo Ocean Race fleet will depart Guangzhou, China on Monday 5 February to head back to Hong Kong before beginning Leg 6 to Auckland, New Zealand.
Following the Race's fourth stop in mainland China in four editions, the boats are heading back to Hong Kong and are expected to arrive Monday evening local time.
The fleet will then restart in Hong Kong for Leg 6 to Auckland on Wednesday 7 February.
China has a decade long history with the race, having first hosted the event in 2008-09 when the boats stopped in Qingdao, and Ian Walker's Green Dragon crew included the first Chinese crew member in history, as Guo Chuan stepped onboard as Media Crew Member.
A visit to Sanya followed in the following edition, as Aussie sailor Chris Nicholson, sailing in 2017-18 with team AkzoNobel, skippered Team Sanya.
In 2014-15, Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng Race Team featuring a host of Chinese rookies, wrote a new chapter in the history of Chinese offshore sailing, capturing hearts and minds around the world as their underdog story saw them battle all the way around the world.
They're back (and stronger than ever) this edition – and we've returned to the region too, with first-time visits to Hong Kong SAR and Guangzhou. The race also boasts a Hong Kong-flagged team for the first time in Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag.
"This my third time that I've been to China with the Volvo Ocean Race. We have been for a few days and it's different than to what we are used to, but very nice," said Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking.
"An excellent marina, and the infrastructure is superb. The organisation is fantastic and it's clear that the Chinese know how to put things in to place very quickly.
"It's been very nippy, temperatures around 10 degrees during the day and colder during the mornings, so everybody looks like Michelin Man, heaps of clothing on!"
VOLVO OCEAN RACE FLEET DEPARTS GUANGZHOU, CHINA
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The Volvo Ocean Race fleet slipped lines at the Nansha Marina in Guangzhou, China on Monday morning in preparation for Leg 6 to Auckland, New Zealand, which will start this Wednesday following a short stop in Hong Kong.
For Liu Xue (aka Black) racing on board Dongfeng Race Team in the next leg, it was a homecoming he will not forget:
“For me this has been a magical few days with the team arriving in China and visiting Guangzhou where we have enjoyed the support of our friends families and everyone at Dongfeng.”
The Guangzhou stopover marked the fourth time the Volvo Ocean Race has stopped in China over the past 10 years, beginning with the Olympic sailing venue of Qingdao in the 2008-09 edition. Subsequent races have visited Sanya (2011-12 and 2014-15) and now the current race is in the Hong Kong SAR and Guangzhou, China for the first time.
Six teams in the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are scheduled to cross the starting line off Hong Kong for Leg 6 to Auckland on Wednesday February 7 at 1300 local time (0500 UTC), although strong winds are forecast which may push the start time earlier to get the fleet away ahead of the big breeze. Race Management will confirm the start time within the next 24 hours.
Das Gesamtergebnis nach der 5. von 11 Etappen
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