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After a slow motion start with a light breeze in the shadow of Table Mountain, Abu Dhabi gained pace and led to the top mark, followed by Groupama sailing team, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Team Sanya and Team Telefónica, who stalled on the start line.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker shares his thoughts just hours after Azzam re-launched from Alicante, heading for the location where she lost her mast. The team have gingerly made their way across 40 miles of the Mediterranean and have another 45 miles to go until they reach their starting point. They are expected to resume Leg 1 at about 0200 UTC/GMT, but the team are in no rush Walker says:

"Just like falling off a horse it takes time to regain your confidence but you simply have to get back on it as soon as you can"

Team Sanya, the Volvo Ocean Race’s first-ever Chinese entry, have announced their official retirement from Leg 1, after sustaining serious damage to the bow of their boat, soon after leaving Alicante, Spain for Cape Town, South Africa.

Mike Sanderson, CEO and skipper of Team Sanya, today elaborated on the events at sea on Sunday November 6 and reiterated the team’s intention to get back in the race as quickly as possible.

Aksel Magdahl, navigator on board Team Sanya, reported at 0834 UTC on Sunday that they had suffered hull damage on the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, which began yesterday in Alicante.

In a blog from the boat Skipper Mike Sanderson describes the moment when they new something was wrong:

Luna Rossa has been handed a 40 million Euro gift by Prada to compete in the 2013 America’s Cup. The Italian clothing group made the announcement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Wednesday.

The sponsorship will run from December 2011 to September 2013 and will be paid out in installments.

The escalating piracy problem in the Indian Ocean has forced organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 to redraw the routes for the second and third legs.

The boats were due to have sailed through an East African corridor in the Indian Ocean on the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi and again in the third leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya in China but after taking advice from marine safety experts and the sport's governing body, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the routes have been changed.

At midnight on Monday, 15 August, Eddie Warden Owen, Chief Executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club received a call from Mick Harvey, Project Manager of George David's Rambler 100 (USA).

Harvey spoke about the harrowing incident when the 100' Maxi Rambler 100 capsized in the Celtic Sea during the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The second day of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week was blessed with bright sun and strong winds, giving competitors a fresh set of challenges after the opening day’s light airs.

Mean wind speeds had built to more than 20 knots before racing started, while gusts topped 30 knots at 1430, before easing marginally later in the afternoon. It was a fast and furious day of close racing, in which many winners were decided by only a few seconds after hours of racing. Equally, the long lists of retirements included many early leaders who were forced to return to port prematurely.

The first day of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week dealt perfect sailing conditions, with the morning’s light breezes gradually building to give a steady 15 knots by the end of the day.

For many of the dayboat classes in White Group, the leading boats came to the fore within the first 10 minutes of their respective starts. Short tacking against a light west-south-west wind and a building adverse tide meant getting close inshore could result in big gains. However, a patch of very light wind right under the Royal Yacht Squadron, plus the Grantham Rocks just to the west, made it vital not to stray too close to the beach.