Volvo Ocean Race: Rich get richer

(January 16, 2018; Leg 4; Day 15) – Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag was showing no signs of relinquishing their grip on the Leg 4 lead, hell-bent on arriving to their home port of Hong Kong as heroes.

“It’s a new experience for us but it’s a good one,” Scallywag skipper Dave Witt said. “We’re in a pretty strong position, and we’re going to get further ahead at the moment. The weather pattern suits us but the others are going to fall out of it. I expect us to extend our lead.”

Witt revealed the main threat to their impending victory was not from the other crews but from the weather. His crew is currently facing head-on seas of up to four metres, with boat speeds of more than 20 knots.

“We’ve just got try not to break the boat,” he added. “Providing we can keep the boat in one piece we’re going to have a nice lead going into Hong Kong. We’re really looking forward to it.”

With optimal north-easterly trade winds continue to fire the teams towards the finish, decision making has been limited, with fashion among the questions to answer.

“On deck it is a matter of choice, keeping your foulies on and getting wet from sweat or take them off and getting the occasional shower from saltwater,” explains skipper Bouwe Bekking onboard Team Brunel. “Most go for the second option, but it means no salt free shirts anymore as in general all have used the two or three they had with them on this trip. As well it means that lots have saltwater spots on their body.”

The ETA for the finish of Leg 4 in Hong Kong is Friday, January 19.

To see Leg 4 crew lists… click here.

Race details – Tracker – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

Leg 4 – Position Report (19:00 UTC)
1. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 1152.5 nm DTF
2. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Mark Towill (USA), 81.9 nm DTL
3. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 103.7 nm DTL
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 111.8 nm DTL
5. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 195.7 nm DTL
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 230.7 nm DTL
7. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 234.9 nm DTL
DTF – Distance to Finish; DTL – Distance to Lead

Beginning on January 2, Leg 4 is a 5,600 nautical mile race up the east coast of Australia from Melbourne, into the Coral Sea and up north to Hong Kong.

Overall Results (after 3 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 29 points
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 23
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 23
4. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 14
5. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 11
6. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 9
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 6

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.

Source: Volvo Ocean Race