Volvo Ocean Race: Just insane but good

Team Brunel has become the darling of the Volvo Ocean Race.

It didn’t look this way after the first half of the 2017-18 edition in which the team was left in sixth place, sitting on just 20 points after Leg 6. In comparison, MAPFRE, the race leader at the time, had already won 39 points.

But Brunel has been on a tear, and is now equal on points with MAPFRE for the top spot in the general classification with just one more leg to go.

After winning Leg 7 in Itajai (BRA), a Leg 8 second place in Newport (USA) and another victory for Leg 9 in to Cardiff (UK), the team sailed into the Swedish city of Gothenburg 1 minute and 55 seconds ahead of the Spanish MAPFRE to win again.

Brunell skipper Bouwe Bekking has long sought the overall win, and now in his eighth attempt is closer than ever before.

“The victory in this leg is not only good, this is just super important, now we have every chance to pick up the overall victory in The Hague,” said Bekking.

Next up is the In Port race in Gothenburg on June 17 before the fleet leaves Gothenburg on June 21 for the final and all decisive leg towards the ultimate destination: The Hague. The boats are expected to finish the 700 nm course around Sunday, June 24.

“If you think about it that means sailing around the world and then decide in two or three days who will win the Volvo Ocean Race, that is just insane,” notes crew Louis Balcaen. “But it is good, it is what it is!”

For crew lists… click here.

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

Leg 10 – Final Results
1. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), Finished June 14 at 20:42:01 UTC
2. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), Finished June 14 at 20:43:56 UTC
3. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), Finished June 14 at 21:02:53 UTC
4. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), Finished June 14 at 21:15:52 UTC
5. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), Finished June 14 at 21:32:00 UTC
6. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), Finished June 14 at 21:56:40 UTC
7. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), Finished June 14 at 23:55:03 UTC

Overall Results (after 10 of 11 legs)
1. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 65 points
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 65
3. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 64*
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 53
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 38
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 30
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 29

* One additional point will be awarded to the team with the best elapsed time at the conclusion of the race in The Hague. Currently, Dongfeng would win this point.
NOTE: Should there be a tie on the overall race leaderboard at the end of the offshore legs, the In-Port Race Series standings will be used to break the tie.

Starting June 10, Leg 10 was a 1,300-nautical mile sprint from Cardiff, Wales that takes the teams around the west coast of Ireland up to the northern tip of Scotland before heading east-southeast to Gothenburg, the home of Volvo.

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: Brunel