‘They came through the ocean ... They saw our shores ... They conquered our hearts…’
No we are not talking about Sindabad the sailor but the ‘men of steel’ – the sailors of the eight yachts participating in gigantic Volvo Ocean Race 2008 – 09!
The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race was a yacht race held between October 4, 2008, and June 27, 2009 – the 10th edition of the round the world Volvo Ocean Race.
Ten stops in nine countries around the world were made by the eight contestants. The race started from Alicante, Spain on 11th October 2008. It was the first offshore leg of the 08-09 Ocean race. An in-port race was held earlier. The Volvo Ocean Race comprised of seven in-port races at various stopovers and a total of ten legs covering 37,000 nautical miles around the world.
Ericsson 4 won the Volvo Ocean Race, 2008-2009 after finishing the final leg of competition in St.Petersburg, Russia. Ericsson 4 covered the 42,500 miles of the race in a time of 127 days, 7 hours, 46 minutes, 21 seconds. Ericsson 4 completed the race with 114 ½ points, whilst Puma ended with 105 ½. Afterwards Kochi was described as a "memorable" port.
The biggest yacht race in the world came to India in December for the first time in the history of the race. The teams received a raucous welcome from massive crowds in Cochin. The stopover was a great success courtesy of the interest and curiosity of the people. The Cochin Port and its premises were in a festive mood for 10 days. There were cultural programmes by noted artists every evening on all these days. Upwards of 50,000 people visited the village every day of the stopover.