Starting from Hamburg in July, the yachts in the European Odyssey sailed across the North Sea to Hamburg’s twin, the City of London.
A spectacular start was planned on the River Thames where the iconic Tower Bridge was raised to send the yachts on their way to Cherbourg in France.
The next leg took the yachts to old naval port of Brest. From there, the Bay of Biscay was crossed to La Coruña in Northwestern Spain. Continuing along the Iberian coast, the next stop was at Porto before reaching the Portuguese capital.
From Lisbon, boats bound for the Mediterranean sailed to Gibraltar, while those bound for the Canaries headed for Rabat, the capital of Morocco. For sailors based on the French Atlantic coast an alternative start was also planned in the Breton port of Lorient.
Landfall in the Canaries was at the new Marina Lanzarote in Arrecife.
| Leg | Start (2014) | Nautical miles |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburg – London | 3 July | 420 |
| London – Cherbourg | 12 July | 170 |
| Cherbourg – Brest | 19 July | 180 |
| Brest – La Coruña | 26 July | 330 |
| La Coruña – Porto | 2 August | 145 |
| Porto – Lisbon | 7 August | 150 |
| [Lisbon – Gibraltar | 14 August | 295] |
| Lisbon – Rabat | 14 August | 320 |
| Rabat – Lanzarote | 21 August | 460 |
