Dongfeng wins Auckland In-Port Race

Auckland, New Zealand (March 10, 2018) – Dongfeng Race Team showed great concentration and resilience in winning the New Zealand Herald In Port Race over the full 7-boat fleet today.

Conditions were extremely light, shifty and patchy on the Waitematā Harbour, making for plenty of lead changes over the course of the one hour race. Team AkzoNobel finished in second place, while early leaders MAPFRE completed the podium to retain the overall lead in the In Port Race Series.

“It was very tricky, very difficult,” said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier. “We had a terrible start but there was so much happening during the first leg that it wasn’t always good to be in the lead as you just showed the others where the light spots were. We were able to pick up on that and sail around the leaders.

“We worked hard on our speed, and managed to come back slowly.”

The race started in spectacular fashion, considering how light the wind was. MAPFRE positioned well to leeward of the fleet, was first across the line, with David Witt’s Scallywag barging through with speed ahead of a big group clustered near the pin end.

But in fact, it was Team Brunel who were causing the pile-up at the pin, forcing three boats outside of the start line, with Dongfeng, Turn the Tide on Plastic and team AkzoNobel all required to re-start well behind the leaders.

That left MAPFRE and Scallywag as the early leaders, charging up what appeared to be a one-tack leg.

But as they approached the top third of the leg, the wind died, and the trailing boats were able to sail around the leading pair on both sides, with AkzoNobel and Vestas 11th Hour Racing squeezing through just ahead of Dongfeng Race Team and Brunel Sailing.

On the nominally downwind second leg, AkzoNobel and Dongfeng found a vein of pressure to grab the lead, and on a shortened two-lap course, it was Dongfeng who were able to ease ahead and hold on for the win.

“It was a good team win,” said Caudrelier. “Very good for the mood of the team.”

The results mean MAPFRE retains the overall lead in the series, with Dongfeng reducing the gap to second place and team AkzoNobel leapfrogging Brunel to take third.

For crew lists… click here.

Next Up: The seventh leg of the Volvo Ocean Race starts March 18 and takes the fleet from Auckland to Itajaí, BRA. The race organizers choose to estimate the tactical distance for each leg rather than list the actual distance, an unusual decision that’s revealed once the race starts and the tracker lists the actual distance to finish. The VOR says Leg 7 is 7600 nm whereas the truth is more like 6700 nm.

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

In-Port Series Overall Results (after 6 of 11 races)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 37 points
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 34
3. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 27
4. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 26
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 16
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 15
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 11

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

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