Skippers who would be participating in the Volvo Ocean race have already started off on this penultimate sailing challenge. The race that will continue from now and end in June 2018 has started off. It is considered to be an ultimate test in this sport and the skippers who would be participating in it comprise of seven crews who will cover eleven legs and a total of 45000 nautical miles.

The teams would be departing from Alicante on Sunday, 22^nd October 2017 and embark on the ultimate test. This is a race that started from the early seventies and comprises of four stopovers. The edition that would be run this year and continue till next year would have 12 stops that would span about six continents. The race will then conclude at the Dutch port at The Hague, which would be by the end of June 2018.

There have been women skippers who have taken part in this race such as Clare Francis, who was the first woman skipper to have taken part in this race and this time, forty years after her, Dee Caffari would be a Briton skipper just as Ian Walker before her. Being part of the crew of Turn the Tide on Plastic, the skipper of the boat states that it is definitely a different experience to sail with a crew when you have more pairs of hands to help out when things need to get done. Those who are around you will also be judged when you make a mistake which also keeps one on their toes. Dee Caffari would be debuting in this race as a skipper and she can’t wait for the experience. There are also a lot of sailors with little experience on the boat, but they are all enthusiastic about being part of the race.