Some 38 boats from six European countries set off on 3 June to race 1,200 miles of open sea to the Azores and then race back to Falmouth a week later.
This was the 13th Azores and Back (AZAB) race since the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club in 1975 devised this four-yearly, Category 1, two-leg handicap race between Falmouth and Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island, one of the nine Azores Archipelago Islands that lie in the northeastern Atlantic.
At 2,500 miles overall and starting and finishing in the UK, the race is popular, in part because it demands less commitment in time and expense than other ocean races. The race is for all-comers, from experienced racers sailing high-performance boats to local cruisers in need of a challenge.
The competing yachts ranged