Volvo Ocean Race: Effort equals results

(December 21, 2017; Leg 3, Day 12) – MAPFRE extended their lead over rivals Dongfeng Race Team today as Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race entered its closing stages. While the finish line isn’t quite in sight, the most physical element of the battle is in the rear-view mirror for the leaders.

Determined to notch up another victory after winning Leg 2 from Lisbon to Cape Town, MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernández has been pushing his crew to the absolute limit as they close in on Melbourne.

In an effort to stay in front of Dongfeng after snatching the Leg 3 lead from them yesterday, MAPFRE gybed 16 times in less than 12 hours overnight as they skirted the Antarctic Ice Exclusion Zone (AIEZ).

It was twice as many as Dongfeng opted for, with each gybe requiring an incredible physical effort from each crewmember, not to mention the slowing of the boat through the gybing process.

Yet the hard work paid off as MAPFRE had more than doubled their lead of yesterday to 30 nautical miles, with less than 1,300 miles of the leg remaining.

The AIEZ, implemented by race control to keep the fleet away from the danger of icebergs, has started to drop away to the south for the leading duo, allowing them to dive into better breeze.

Once they feel they have the right angle on the westerly winds, both will point their bows towards Melbourne and begin their final dash to the finish line.

For the back of the fleet, an improved weather forecast could see them avoid getting swallowed up by a large high pressure system and therefore get to Melbourne quicker than first thought.

The current ETAs see MAPFRE and Dongfeng arriving on December 24 (UTC); Vestas, Brunel, Scallywag and Turn the Tide on Christmas Day; and AkzoNobel on December 27.

To see Leg 3 crew lists… click here.

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

Leg 3 – Position Report (19:12 UTC)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 1181.4 nm DTF
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 34.2 nm DTL
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 110.3 nm DTL
4. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 145.1 nm DTL
5. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 324.1 nm DTL
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 390.4 nm DTL
7. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 584.8 nm DTL
DTF – Distance to Finish; DTL – Distance to Leader

Overall Results (after 2 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 14 points
2. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 13
3. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 11
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 7
5. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 6
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 5
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 2

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