A fleet of ten high-performance M32 catamarans will wow crowds in Alicante, Spain, at the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in a showcase of trademark action and excitement.

The Alicante Match Cup will see the crews – led by some of sailing’s biggest names and most promising talent – go head to head over four days of intense match racing in front of Alicante’s bustling Volvo Ocean Race village.

The line-up for the event includes World Match Racing Tour regulars Yann Guichard (Spindrift Racing), Sam Gilmour (Neptune Racing), Jonas Warrer (Team Warrer) and Sally Barkow (Team Magenta 32).

Teams will be doing battle for one of two coveted places up for grabs at the opening event of the 2018 World Match Racing Tour. Racing will take place from 10am local time each day. A round of fleet racing today will be followed by three days of knock-out stages to determine the final standings.

For many of the teams it will also be a chance to hone their skills ahead of the 2017 WMRT Match Racing World Championship, which takes place in Shenzen, China, from October 24 to 29.