On the sidelines of the first In-Port Race in Alicante, the race's Managing Director Tom Touber, 50, confirmed speculation about a change in the format for the 2011/12 event. The second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi will be sailed through this time.
The previous world regatta had been interrupted due to the acute risk of piracy in the Indian Ocean. A freighter took the yachts on board at a previously agreed waypoint and put them back on board shortly before the harbour for the stage.
This emergency solution is to be dispensed with this time - the pirates are nowhere near as active in the sea area as they were three years ago. Dutchman Touber, who has already accompanied five races ashore as manager for both the participants and the organiser, explained that the passage of waypoints relatively far off the coast will be prescribed. The exact route will not be finalised until the stopover in Cape Town in mid-November.
The organisers of the event also used the brilliant opening weekend on the Costa Blanca to promote their own cause. Potential additional sponsors for the 2017/18 race came to the event to find out more. According to Touber, this included at least one interested company from Germany. However, he did not reveal which one.
