The Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 changes to a new phase this Sunday with the beginning of Stage 2, a marathon of 7,000 nautical miles and three weeks duration between Lisbon and Cape Town

The second stage of the Volvo is one of the most emblematic of the competition, as the teams go down the entire North Atlantic, pass through the Doldrums, the Alisian winds and roar the South Ocean before the end in Cape Town, which has already been a race scale ten times.

The tactical options at the stage have been opened this year by the elimination of a traditional waypoint, the island of Fernando de Noronha, about 170 nautical miles from the coast of Brazil. Without this island as a forced step, the shortest, but usually slower, option of sailing further east, along the coast of Africa, may be going out on the road.

The exit includes a rise to the Tajo River to the front of the city of Lisbon, before the teams head south-west for a resistance race to the warmest latitudes. The forecast is from the north winds of 15 to 18 knots on Sunday afternoon; it should be a quick start. The first long stretch of the 2017-18 edition - a 7,000-mile Atlantic dive from Lisbon to Cape Town - begins on Sunday, November 5, and you can see all the live action on our channels. With a projected stage to take the fleet around 21 days in competition, a solid start is key, and the ships will fight for every inch since they leave Lisbon.