Today London Life becomes Rio de Janeiro life as we visit the Volvo Ocean Race as it stops in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.

Seven yachts are racing around the world and we dropped in to interview some of the organisers and crew about the race and about the use of English on the boats. We spoke to; Andy Hindley, Racing Director for the Volvo Ocean Race, Maria Veltran, shore crew for the Spanish Movistar Team and Gerd Jan Poortman (Johnny) from the ABN Amro II boat.

Before you listen to the programme look at these comprehension questions. You can hear the answers in the programme. Check your understanding by trying the quiz from the Extras section below. You can also download this programme in mp3 format and follow it with a complete transcript.

1: How long does the race last?
2: Where does the race end?
3: How many Spanish sailors are there in the Spanish team?
4: How many nationalities are there on Gerd Jan's boat?

Listen to London Life
	Volvo Ocean Race

Vocabulary
Words and expressions from the programme

a marina
a man-made port, like a car-park but for boats and yachts

the pinnacle (of something)
the most important or respected

Example:
This event is the pinnacle of ocean racing.

the crew
the people who work on a boat

(to do something) flat-out
to do something at the highest speed or with the highest level of energy

Examples
They were late so they drove flat-out to the airport.
We had to work flat-out to finish the project on time.

the skipper
another word for the captain, the person who is in charge of the boat and the crew

---

Extras
Try the London Life quiz
Programme script (pdf - 24k)
Download this programme (mp3 - 1.9mb)
www.volvooceanrace.org

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites