Water blasters clean Team Alvimedica's yacht, with Team Brunei in the background, during the boats' stopover in Auckland after the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race - touted as the greatest endurance test for sailors. This is the ninth time Auckland has featured as a stopover in the 40 years the race has been run.
During the New Zealand stopover, the boats will undergo maintenance and some in-port racing before setting out on March 15 for the fifth leg from Auckland to Itaja in Brazil. The race finishes, after the ninth leg, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The boats are estimated to arrive there between June 21-24. There are seven teams competing, including an all-female team for the first time. Team members hail from 16 nations - Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK and USA.
