Organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race have had to take safety measures to avoid the threat of priacy on Leg 2 of the race, which begins today.
The second leg of the race, which runs from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi, will now be run in two parts. The 6 boats will set sail from Cape Town before being lifted onto an armed ship at an undisclosed Safe Haven Port, in order to avoid Somalian pirates, before being put back in the water on the Sharjah coastline, to complete the final 140 miles of the race.
It is a highly secretive operation with only organisers and the crews themselves knowing where the safe haven is. The cost of an armed shipping movement like this is estimated to be about £500,000 which will be paid by the race sponsors Volvo.
Whilst the Indian Navy have reported that successful piracy attacks in the region had halved, it was the safety of the crews that was the priority for the event organisers, as CEO Knud Frostas put it;
"Piracy is a threat to the entire race and the measures we are taking are designed to keep the sailors, the shore crew, and the boats as safe as possible, while preserving the competitive nature of the race"
A similar plan has been made for Leg 3 of the race, from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, China, which begins on the 14th January 2012. The boats will again be lifted onto an armed ship at an unknown safe haven, before entering the water again once clear of the danger.
The Volvo Ocean Race is a 39,000 mile race around the world's oceans, taking eight months to complete. Each team is made up of 11 professional yachtsmen, sailing monohull boats, which can travel at up 40mph.
It has been described as the biggest challenge in sailing, and has been running since 1973, when it was known as the Whitbread Round the World Race.
