Principal Race Officer of the Volvo Ocean Race, Bill O'Hara from Ballyholme Yacht Club in Northern Ireland, is anticipating the course will be short, with at least three, and possibly up to four, laps. The second in-port race will be held in Lisbon starting at 14:00 UTC this afternoon.
Seven teams will take the start of the In-Port Race. This is the second in the VOR In Port Race Series. In Alicante, MAPFRE beat Dongfeng Race Team with Vestas 11th Hour Racing completing the podium.
The forecast is for moderate 10 to 15 knot south–westerly winds.
The target time for the race is 60–minutes.
For that wind direction, the length of the race course is likely to be confined by the banks of the Tagus River,
With so many manoeuvres required on the short course, boat handling is sure to be a determining factor for success this afternoon.
After his VOR race officer duties are completed this weekend, O'Hara fies to Mexico to meet up with Ireland's World Sailing delegation at the World Conference in Mexico as outlined by Afloat.ie here.
