Sanya See Weather Opportunity

The notoriously unstable weather of the North Atlantic may be causing havoc for their rivals but for Team Sanya the conditions present vital opportunities to get themselves back in the game.

Relishing their return to racing after being forced out of Leg 5 and 6, Mike Sanderson’s crew are on the hunt for even the smallest of chance to set up the podium finish they crave.

With the door that would have allowed them to sail a direct course to Lisbon slammed shut, the teams have been forced to change strategy five days into the 3,590-mile leg – and that could play straight into the hands of Sanya, the only second-generation boat in the race.

A high pressure system is threatening to split the fleet into two groups, one going north and the other heading south, which could give Sanderson’s team the chance they are looking for.

“Although the weather is unstable it does present plenty of options,” watch captain Richard Mason said.

“We don’t see the forecast as a problem as such – it creates a lot of opportunities. We just need to pick our way through and turn them into opportunities.”

Mason, appearing in the race for the fourth time, said his crew were eyeing up a break to the north, and would be ready to pounce on any mistakes made by their rivals.

Currently are out of the running for the overall trophy – but the top four teams are split by 14 points and have everything to lose, which in turn opens up the possibility for the race’s sole Chinese entry slip under their radar.

“The guys at the front are constantly looking over their shoulders and will be looking to cover one another,” he added.

“They’re not going to be too worried about us if we go off in a different direction and bang the corner.

“That in itself could provide some opportunities – they’re not going to come chasing us.

“Telefónica will be keeping a very close eye on Groupama and vice versa so they won’t be looking at us.”

At the 1000 UTC position update Sanya were just over 100 miles behind leg frontrunners Telefónica having pulled back 16 miles since the previous report.