Telefonica Take Lead Out of Lorient

Photo: Ian Roman

Telefónica were back to their commanding best on Sunday to lead the fleet out of Lorient on the final offshore leg to Galway, Ireland as Groupama made a patient start to their bid for the top four place that would guarantee overall victory.

In a sign of what lies ahead, the fleet raced at speeds upwards of 20 knots around the 6.5 nautical mile inshore course in Lorient’s Port Foll, with Telefónica followed by PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Groupama sailing team and Team Sanya.

CAMPER made a terrible start and were forced to perform a penalty turn in the opening seconds of the race after infringing on Telefónica during the start sequence.

While the red boat did penance, the fleet broke away with blistering pace in the westerly wind that was gusting between 15 and 22 knots.

PUMA pushed Telefónica hard and looked threatening but were ultimately unable to catch Iker Martínez's team.

Groupama have a 25-point lead over nearest rivals PUMA and will make certain of overall victory if they finish in the top four.

“There will be some hard hours for everyone,’’ Groupama skipper Franck Cammas said. 

“For us it’s about sailing simply and not taking too much risk during the night. Then for the finish it will be a little bit lighter, and we have to be fast on this part after Fastnet Rock.”

It won’t be smooth sailing for the teams. Rather than heading straight to Ireland, the fleet must first sail south 25 miles round the island of Belle Ile, which promises to be a quick run in 15-18 knots of westerly wind.

Once round Belle Ile the fleet will get a chance to stretch their legs in south-westerly breeze blowing between 20 and 30 knots – perfect conditions for Volvo Open 70s to hit top speeds.

Although just 550 nautical miles long, the leg will throw up some challenges for the fleet and the first will come this evening in the form of an exclusion zone off the north-west tip of France.

The teams will most likely pass the zone to the south, having to dodge shipping traffic in big winds and total darkness.

A cold front between France and Ireland could make things even more interesting with squalls and small storms to negotiate.

Several metres of swell blown across the continental shelf by a powerful low pressure system in the North Atlantic will be yet another challenge for the teams.

By late morning on Monday the fleet should be rounding Fastnet Rock, the most southerly tip of Ireland.

From there it’s a straight run up to the Aran Islands, a set of three islands marking the entrance to Galway bay that boast 200-metre tall cliffs, making the most of the strong currents that accelerate round the many headlands.

Eiragh lighthouse, at the western end of the Aran Islands, must be left to starboard before the fleet turn east and head for the finish line in Galway Bay.

Telefonica Recover from Broken Rudder

Photo: Diego Fructuoso 

Telefónica were back challenging for the lead in the closing stages of Leg 8 after replacing a broken rudder in storm conditions within 500 miles of the finish.

Iker Martínez’s team had a slim lead over their rivals when one of their rudders broke, forcing them to slow the boat to less than five knots for around an hour.

Despite slipping to third place behind Groupama sailing team and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Telefónica were back up to speed this afternoon and in the hunt for a fourth leg win.

Earlier in the day Telefónica set a new 24-hour distance record for their run of 564 nautical miles, only for CAMPER to go back ahead of them with a distance just fractionally greater later in the day.

An official statement from Telefónica read: “Despite beating the speed record for this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race for the fourth time this afternoon, notching up a 24-hour run of 564 nautical miles, Telefónica was forced to slow down considerably during approximately an hour due to a broken rudder.

“Working mid-storm with wind speeds topping 25 knots, the Spanish boat's crew worked to fix the situation by using the spare rudder.

“Although the boat's power took a 90 per cent dive, from aboard Telefónica there have been assurances that they will be aiming for the maximum possible speeds as they head for Lorient, aiming not to drop back on the way to the finish.”

Telefonica Leads Fleet into Storm

Photo: Yann Rio

Team Telefónica led a furious charge into the eye of a North Atlantic storm on Wednesday, with just 10 nautical miles separating the top four teams overall and the fastest 24-hour runs of the race a real possibility.

How the leading quartet of Groupama, Telefónica, PUMA and CAMPER play the risky situation could ultimately decide the entire race with just 23 points between them and only one more leg to go after the fleet arrive in Lorient on Friday.

The teams have been battening down the hatches in preparation for gale force winds up to 50 knots and waves in excess of six metres that could see the IWC Schaffhausen 24-hour record for the race toppled, but could equally prove boat-breaking.

The delicate balancing act is likely to turn many a skipper and navigator into an insomniac.

On board Abu Dhabi's Azzam the whole team have been engaged in an intense team meeting to discuss their tactics for what skipper Ian Walker described as "the sternest test yet of this race".

"This leg could still hinge on who pushes hardest and survives the gale force winds ahead,'' the double Olympic silver medallist said. "We will make sure we are well rested and everything is strapped to the back of the bus before the wind rapidly builds tonight.

"In those conditions, first and foremost it is surviving. The problem is that we are actually racing so it will be a case of which boats push hardest and force everyone else to as well."

Few are more nervous than Groupama sailing team, who have the most to lose. The overall race leaders, nursing an eight-point advantage over Telefónica, are all too aware that they will have to push hard to defend their narrow lead on the Leg 8 race to their home port.

But, with the conditions threatening to be as tough as the Southern Ocean in Leg 5 when the French team broke their mast and were forced to finish under jury rig, there will be trepidation.

One thing the team are confident in is the stamina of their crewmen, who are prepared to put every ounce of energy into the remaining 1,000 nautical miles, according to helmsman/trimmer Charles Caudrelier.

"There is a lot at stake, for sure,'' he said. "We are realising that we are leading the Volvo Ocean Race, and that we can win it. We are in front and that's more motivation. Plus the leg is short and we don't have to save energy for later on. We are sprinting."

The teams will be sprinting alright, with 24-hour distances expected to near, if not better, the 553 nautical miles notched by CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand during Leg 1, which has Chris Nicholson's team at the top of the IWC Schaffhausen Speed Record Challenge leaderboard.

CAMPER navigator Will Oxley said there was plenty of run-way available for the teams to accelerate without interruption, loosening the team's current clutch on the IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition 'Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12' timepiece.

"There are almost 800 miles before we have to gybe, so there are plenty of opportunities for very fast time/distances to be covered over the next 36 hours,'' Oxley said. "A 24-hour distance record is possible, certainly the watches are up for grabs."

Ericsson 4 broke the world 24-hour speed record for a monohull during the 2008-09 race, recording 596.6 nautical miles -- a mark that has not been bettered since.

At 1500 UTC Team Telefónica held a 1.6 nautical mile lead over Groupama sailing team, followed by PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, CAMPER, Abu Dhabi and Team Sanya in sixth place.

The latest ETA for the boats' arrival at Lorient, on the Brittany coast of France, is Friday.

Team Telefonica Make the Call

Photo: Paul Todd

Telefónica were pressing early leaders PUMA hard as the crews settled into their watch systems on the first night of the crucial eighth leg from Lisbon to Lorient on Sunday.

As they raced 120 nautical miles northwest of Cabo de São Vicente in 13-14 knots of north-northwesterly breeze, there was little to split the main pack of boats, with Telefónica neck and neck with Ken Read's in-form team at the front.

Telefónica are in need of a good result after losing their lead at the end of Leg 7 and then spilling another five points in the Oeiras In-Port Race to Groupama, who now have an eight-point advantage at the top.

Abu Dhabi were seven miles to the north of the main bunch, which also includes CAMPER and Groupama, and were up with the leaders in terms of distance to the São Miguel waypoint. Team Sanya were at the rear of the fleet. 

The fleet is expected to compress in the approach to São Miguel island in the Azores, which they will round before heading to France on a leg that could last as little as six days.

Once round the island, they will feel the effects of a low pressure system which, as it moves east, could throw up westerly breeze of up to 40 knots and a huge sea state.

CAMPER -- 23 points behind the leaders and one of four teams still in with a chance of overall victory -- were pleased to get away from Lisbon with a small lead over Groupama, though the French team have every opportunity to make up lost ground in conditions that suit their boat ideally.

“It was a pretty nice start actually, and good to get out in good shape," said skipper Chris Nicholson.

"Probably in this jib reaching stuff the other guys will reel us in eventually. Groupama were probably two miles back and you just never know, that two miles might count at the finish."

Telefonica Enjoy Royalty in Lisbon

Photo: Ian Roman

Prince Felipe of Spain made a surprise visit to the Lisbon Race Village on Friday, joining Telefónica and Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad at the team base.

The Prince, a keen sailor who represented Spain at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, took advantage of a gap in his schedule to renew his acquaintance with Iker Martínez and the rest of the Telefónica sailors and shore crew.

it is the third time Prince Felipe has shown his support for the race. On October 7 last year he attended the christening of Telefónica boat along with his wife, Princess Letizia, who took on the role of the boat´s godmother.

He was also present in Alicante for the start of the first offshore leg to Cape Town.

The race for fourth and fifth turned into an excruciating, slow-motion match race in the early hours of Friday morning, with Telefónica holding off arch-rivals CAMPER for a five-point bump that may yet prove crucial.

Long Battle for Volvo Places

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The race for fourth and fifth turned into an excruciating, slow-motion match race in the early hours of Friday morning, with Telefónica holding off arch-rivals CAMPER for a five-point bump that may yet prove crucial.

Team Telefónica, winners of the first three offshore legs, find themselves in second place overall after Groupama's Leg 7 finish on the shoulders of Abu Dhabi proved enough to take the French team three points clear at the top.

The consolation for skipper Iker Martínez was in squeezing past CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand in a heroic struggle with an adverse current, exacerbated by a lack of breeze, on the River Tagus.

"It was a leg with a lot of problems and a lot of difficult situations with the weather," Martínez said. "We didn’t have much wind for the last couple of hours and we knew the other guys were very close so we tried to catch them.

"We are happy to finish fourth instead of fifth and we are happy that Groupama didn’t win. It is not as good as it was and obviously it could be worse."

There were times when both teams were actually going backwards, others when they headed away from the line to the coast, and then back again to produce tracks that looked like snails' trails.

The race was impossible to call in the pitch black night, with Telefónica finally crossing the line at 02:28 local time, one minute 42 seconds ahead of CAMPER.

"That was massively frustrating at the end," said CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson. "We led coming into the river by four or five miles then ran into a hole – couldn’t help that.

"Then we had a bit of back and forth and we built up a one-mile lead up to the finish and just ran into a calm patch. There’s not one single thing in all of that which we have to be regretful for.We sailed a good leg to the finish and sometimes this happens.

"We’re a good team, we will bounce back. While there’s a remotest chance of winning we’ll be there."

The result kept Telefónica within striking distance of the new leaders and left CAMPER 21 points off the pace, although still well in with a chance of victory with two legs and three in-port races still to sail.

With PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG in third place overall, 12 points behind the leaders, four teams are still in contention, making this the closest contest in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race

Telefonica Now Leg 7 Leaders

Diego Fructuoso

Overall race leaders Telefónica are the new Leg 7 frontrunners, snatching top spot from French rivals Groupama as the teams were forced to head north to dodge a high pressure system blocking the direct path towards Lisbon.

Iker Martínez’s men were almost 10 nautical miles ahead of Franck Cammas’ team at the 0700 UTC position report and travelling more than a knot quicker after all six boats had gybed north in search of better breeze.

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand were the first of the chasing teams to gybe north on Wednesday, and this morning Sanya, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing followed suit.

Telefónica and Groupama were the last of the fleet to make the move, and at the latest position report all six teams were sailing north-easterly courses.

CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson said that while costly, the split was a necessary move to keep them in the game.

At 0700 it seemed to be paying as they averaged 15.5 knots, the quickest boat in the fleet, pulling back more than six miles in three hours.

“The boats to the north of us were continuing gaining on us in more pressure, and we are going to have to take a loss to go there, but the future wasn’t looking good staying in the south,” Nicholson said.

“We are going to take some more losses to get back into pressure and try to get back in touch with these guys.”

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, this morning in third place almost 50 nm behind the leaders, were banking on a leaderboard reshuffle in their favour as they relished being in the thick of the action.

“For a few days we have clung to the hope that we could just about ride the southwesterly wind east and connect with the westerly flow round the Azores High that would deliver us to Lisbon,” skipper Ian Walker said. “It was a dream scenario – a very direct and downwind route that avoided the ice gates to the north. 

“Sadly reality is now being faced by the fleet as we gybe north one by one. Ahead of us we face a very light wind high pressure zone to cross, a day of upwind sailing, much colder temperatures and a few more days at sea. At least it will feel like a ‘real’ Atlantic crossing.

“I suspect we could see a real shake up in the standings with some big gains and losses. After getting ourselves into a good position thus far our priority is to put ourselves in as safe a position as we can relative to the others.”

PUMA and Telefonica Close Gap

Team Telefonica Await Verdict

The international jury will announce a verdict on Thursday after hearing submissions in the Team Telefónica sail protest hearing.

The independent body of rules experts chaired by ISAF international judge Bernard Bonneau heard from three witnesses in the case, which centres on an alleged breach of 5.2.2 of the Notice of Race.

The jury then decided it needed more time to consider the facts of the case as presented, and said a verdict would be announced around 1200 local time (1500 GMT).

Race director Jack Lloyd, Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez and chief measurer Shaun Ritson were the witnesses giving evidence on Wednesday. Telefónica were represented by legal adviser Luis De Mariscal.

The jury decided a hearing was necessary after receiving a report from the head of the race’s measurement group over the sails carried by Telefónica during Leg 4 from Sanya to Auckland.

Under race rules, each boat is required to carry on board one storm trysail, one storm jib and one heavy weather jib, plus a maximum of seven other sails, made up of a maximum of one mainsail, two headsails, three spinnakers and one staysail.

The jury was made up of:

Bernard Bonneau (FRA) Chairman

Peter Shrubb (BER)

Flavio Naveira (ARG)

Chris Atkins (GBR)

John Maccall (ARG)

A full report on the case will be published once the verdict has been announced.

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PUMA Clinch Leg 5 in Itajai

PUMA held firm in the face of a relentless attack from Telefónica to clinch an epic Leg 5 victory on Friday, crossing the finish line in Itajaí, Brazil with a slim winning margin after the Spanish team had threatened to complete one of the greatest sporting comebacks.

After more then 7,500 nautical miles of racing from Auckland, starting with a first-night battering as bad as any in the race’s history and on through brutal conditions in the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, PUMA’s Mar Mostro crossed the Itajaí finish in brilliant sunshine at 16:09:51 local time (19:09:51 UTC) to take their first victory of the 2011-12 edition.

Telefónica crossed at 16:22:29 local after their comeback came up just short.

Both PUMA and Telefónica received heroes' welcomes with an armada of spectator boats up to a hundred strong escorting them for the final 10 miles to the finish.

Ashore, crowds lined both sides of the river leading to the race village, where thousands more cheered and waved as the crews arrived at the dock.

Skippers Ken Read and Iker Martínez each paid tribute to the warmth of the welcome their teams had received.

"This is amazing," Martínez said on the dock as he waved to the cheering race fans. "So many people here for our arrival, such a surprise and such an honour."

"I want to thank everyone for coming to see us," Read told the crowd at the prizegiving ceremony. "Many of us have done a lot of Volvo Races but we have never received a welcome like this. You are the best. Thank you so much."

It was clear by Friday morning that Telefónica were going to give PUMA a real run for their money. A deficit that had stood at hundreds of nautical miles came all the way down to 10, then two and at one stage just 0.7 -- a little over a kilometre -- as Telefónica consistently enjoyed better breeze.

But crucially, while the breeze was light, it remained relatively stable and PUMA were able to avoid the sort of wind hole that cost them so dearly on the first stage of leg 4 from Sanya to Auckland.

Over the final 20 nm, skipper Ken Read kept his rivals at bay over a match race up the coast, putting his boat between Telefónica and flawlessly completing a series of gybes to ensure there would be no final heroics.

It was an extraordinary finish to the battle for first place in a leg that saw five of the six boats forced to stop for repairs.

Telefónica were 400 nm behind the leaders when they resumed racing following a pit stop to work on structural damage to their boat. They quickly began to reduce that gap and when Groupama were forced out following a dismasting they were suddenly in a two-way battle for first.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG score 30 points for their win, taking their total to 113 points. It means they are just 34 points behind overall leaders Team Telefónica, despite having been forced to retire from Leg 1 because of a broken mast.

A mix of emotions from elation to relief was evident on the faces of the 11 crew on board PUMA as they celebrated their victory.

"I've never done such a tough offshore leg in my life," Read said moments after stepping shore. "We ran out of food a day and a half ago and it''s been pretty intense. Our hearts go out to the crews who have suffered damage. We know what that's like and it's even worse when it's in a place like the Southern Ocean."

PUMA have had a steady rise since the devastating blow of their broken mast on Leg 1. In the past four scoring events PUMA have finished second three times and now first, with real momentum with the American-based team as they head towards Leg 6 to Miami in the United States.

Puma Push as Telefonica Attack

Leg 5 leaders PUMA are feeling the heat on Thursday, this time from overall leaders Telefónica, after their closest competitor Groupama suspended racing overnight with a broken mast.

At 0700 UTC on Thursday Ken Read’s PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG were within 465 nautical miles of the finish and held a 56 nm lead over Iker Martínez’s Team Telefónica.

PUMA are pushing hard to defend the relentless attack from Telefónica, who have clawed back from a 400 nautical mile deficit after suspending racing on March 31 for 17 hours to repair structural damage.

Media Crew Member Amory Ross said his PUMA teammates were feeling vulnerable, with Telefónica more than 100 nautical miles to the southeast and well out of range.

“Telefónica is very much a threat to our first leg win as they make their charge well to the east,’’ Ross said. “It is going to be very close, and it’s a strange feeling on board, as there is very little we can do to protect ourselves.

“There’s just no way to cover a boat that five days ago was 400 miles behind and at a dock. Incredible, really. Frustrating, absolutely. They’ve simply had better weather, weather we haven’t. And that’s continued all through today, too.”

Ross said navigator Tom Addis and Read were working on optimising the weather windows, and remained hopeful that the front that propelled Telefónica from Cape Horn would soon reach them.

But, with one routing model showing the two teams finishing within five minutes of each other, tension are mounting Ross said.

“We still have a race to win,’’ he said. “The pedal is on the floor and we’re pushing the crew and the boat at 100 per cent, there is no question or reason to do otherwise.

“We feel we deserve this one and are primed to do everything we can to make it so!”

PUMA trailed in second place when Groupama’s mast broke and the team suspended racing at 1542 UTC on Wednesday. Groupama skipper Franck Cammas today reported that his team planned to resume racing with a jury rig.

Groupama Maintain Volvo Advantage

Leg leaders Groupama sailing team maintained their advantage over second placed PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG after the French team led the fleet into steady trade winds south of the Doldrums.

"I think in three or four days time there will be loads of tricky conditions going on and anything can happen" Andrew Cape - navigator, Team Telefónica

However, with over 1,500 nm of racing and an increasingly complex weather scenario ahead of them Franck Cammas’ crew are still very much feeling the heat from the chasing pack.

Groupama helmsman Damian Foxall said their Doldrums crossing had been brief but eventful as they picked their way carefully through, successfully dodging the wind holes which had scuppered them on the first and third legs.

“We had lots of squalls and clouds but no areas with no wind at all,” he said. “We avoided the lulls and made the most out of the gusts.”

Despite having stretched their lead Foxall said there was still nervousness on board, particularly about overall race leaders Team Telefónica who re-emerged as a potential threat after a fast run through the middle of the Solomon Islands.

“It was well done by Telefónica, they came back in to the match through the islands,’’ Foxall said. “They are back in the game.”

On third placed Telefónica, navigator Andrew Cape said he expected chances to open up on the way to New Zealand as the fleet faced a constantly evolving meteorological scenario.

“We still have opportunities,’’ he said. “The weather situation is very unclear. It’s six or seven days until we reach the top of New Zealand and the weather is changing rapidly.

“Outside of the three day forecast a lot of things can happen,” Cape said. “You can gain or lose, so you have to just keep on top of your game.

“We’re still going for the win. I think in three or four days time there will be loads of tricky conditions going on and anything can happen.”

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing navigator Jules Salter said Ian Walker’s fourth placed crew were happy to have maintained lateral separation with the boats in the west despite having lost miles when Telefónica, CAMPER and Team Sanya pulled off their successful Solomon Island sortie.

“If we were along side them (now) we wouldn’t be quite as fast as them. At least having this separation with them gives us a few options,” Salter said before re-affirming the Emirati team’s commitment to pull out a good leg result.

“We haven’t given up yet,” he said. “We’re still in the hunt. We won’t really know until the end. Even if you end up 40 miles behind the other boats, it’s so light heading into Auckland at the moment that there’s even potential in the last couple of hundred miles.”

Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante says the fleet should enjoy consistent east-southeast trades of 10 to 15 knots in the Coral Sea before the winds freshen and turn southeast favouring Groupama and PUMA in the east.

The fleet should reach the island of New Caledonia by Monday afternoon, with latest predictions taking the fleet to the west of the 300 nm land mass.

From there the teams will have to sail against the wind to the finish in Auckland with the leaders expected to arrive on or around March 10.

Telefonica in Sanya Celebration

Team Telefónica are celebrating after clinching their third victory from three legs in the Volvo Ocean Race on Saturday, as less than nine hours separated the top five teams at the finish of the 3,051 nautical mile (nm) second stage of Leg 3 from the Maldives to Sanya in China.

Telefónica, the overall race leaders, crossed the line at 03:58:22 UTC, finishing the second stage in 12 days 19 hours 58 minutes 21 seconds to take 24 points and become the first boat since Peter Blake's Steinlager 2 in 1989-90 to sweep the first three legs.

Groupama sailing team came in second, giving them 20 points, while CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand took the third podium place and 16 points.

PUMA Ocean Racing picked up 12 points for fourth, with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing coming in fifth and taking eight points.

Telefónica navigator Andrew Cape said the second stage of Leg 3 had been full of challenges and one of the most difficult he had ever experienced.

“It’s one of the toughest legs I’ve done,” he said. “Mentally it was very difficult, tactically very difficult. Physically it wasn’t as tough as a long southern ocean leg but mentally it was really hard."

“I’m feeling really exhausted and I just want to have a beer.”

Telefónica’s third consecutive leg win extended their overall lead to 15 points over Chris Nicholson’s CAMPER.

Franck Cammas’ Groupama, who crossed the line at 05:45:25 UTC after 12 days 21 hours 45 minutes 24 seconds at sea, remain third overall but are now within nine points of CAMPER.

Cammas said the final part of the second stage of the leg had been punishing for the French crew.

“We had many manoeuvres all the time. In the last 48 hours we did 24 tacks and each tack on a Volvo Open 70 is very hard. All the crew have to be awake.

“The fight was very good with the others. I think Telefónica is very fast in these conditions, so all the time they gain a little bit in distance because of their speed.

“It was a good opportunity to test our boat with Telefónica and the leading boats. We improved a lot in the tuning of Groupama so it was very good for us.”

CAMPER finished at 07:28:24 UTC with an elapsed time of 12 days 23 hours 28 minutes 23 seconds.

Skipper Chris Nicholson confessed to being disappointed with third place after a tactical call in the Malacca Strait saw them lose touch with the leaders.

“We thought and expected to do better than third to be honest but it’s a difficult race we’re entered into with the best professional teams in the world,” he said.

“We got on the wrong side of a thunderstorm in the Malacca Strait. The other guys went to the Indonesian shore line and we couldn’t get there.

“That was pretty much the ball game there and then.

“We left the Singapore Strait in fifth so we’re happy to have got back to third. We thought we were a lot better than fifth. To finish third is good, it’s a good positive for us to finish on.

Nicholson said his team were looking forward to some rest but would continue to work on improving their performance for the remainder of the race.

“There’s still a lot of thought required about how we can start winning legs," he said. “We’re able to match the leaders at certain periods of the race and then we kind of let ourselves down occasionally.

“We just have to keep working on that, go back to the designer, see if there’s anything more in regards to how we’re sailing the boat.

"We hope to rest up a bit now. It’s been a big exercise in sailing and logistics so a big rest up here is in order so we can come out with good training and attitude for the in-port race.”

Ken Read’s PUMA Ocean racing powered by BERG crossed the Sanya finish line at 08:29:13 UTC having taken 13 days 29 minutes 13 seconds.

They remain in fourth overall with 48 points.

Skipper Ken Read said the key moment of the second stage of the leg had been their breakaway move out to the east in the final few days.

“I think, the whole world knows our most defining moment was choosing an easterly course on the last bit from the Malacca Strait to Sanya,” he said.

“It didn’t work and I put my hand up for that. At the end of the day that’s my call. I have to look at myself in the mirror over these decisions.

“We have to sit down and figure out better ways to handle these situations. I’m not in anyway going to turn my back on these decisions, but at the same time we take calculated risks.

“But instead of just saying screw it and quitting, we bowed back into it got back ahead of Abu Dhabi and shouting distance of CAMPER.

“Net loss one boat in that whole debacle, so we have to take that for what it is and live to fight another day.”

Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing closed out the top five, finishing at 11:05:06 UTC after 13 days three hours five minutes and five seconds of racing.

Walker said that other than in the Malacca Strait there had been few tactical options during the second stage of Leg 3.

“Certainly in the first week and in the last few days there has been a lot of straight line and boat speed sailing,” he said.

“A lot of light wind and up wind. We just crossed the miles off and we are glad to be here.

“The Malacca Strait is always busy although this time it was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. We had one hard night along the Vietnamese coast with a succession of tacks, but other than that I would say it was relatively easy on the bodies.

“The margins are very small. The difference between us and Telefónica is one or two per cent.

“We sailed pretty well, we just didn’t have the legs to keep up with the leaders.”

Despite having had to deal with a problem with their winches earlier today, Mike Sanderson’s Team Sanya remained on track to finish the second stage of Leg 3 tomorrow February 5.

Telefonica Relief for Cape

After three days of dodging container ships, unlit fishing boats and all manner of objects floating in the sea, Team Telefónica navigator Andrew Cape couldn’t hide his relief at being clear of the Malacca Strait – but said the danger is not over yet.

“There's oil rigs, islands, mud banks and everything you can think of, plus a huge amount of debris in the water with logs and trees" - Andrew Cape, Team Telefónica

Not only is Cape charged with getting his crew around the world ahead of their five rival teams, he must also ensure their safety as they take on some of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world. 

“I can't put into words how relieved I am to get out of the strait,” Cape told volvooceanrace.com. “It's a nightmare and I'm really, really relieved that nothing went wrong and even happier that we managed to start in first place and finish there. There’s serious relief all round. It’s good to be out.”

Telefónica led the fleet out of the strait and into the South China Sea yesterday, but four-time race veteran Cape said more challenges lie ahead in the race to Sanya.

“It’s a pretty uncomfortable place to sail, with obstacles in the way again,” he added. “There's oil rigs, islands, mud banks and everything you can think of, plus a huge amount of debris in the water with logs and trees. But that's the game we've got so that's what we've got to do.” 

The main tactical hurdle on the final phase of the leg revolves around the strong current that sweeps down the coast of Vietnam and winds offshore blowing up to 35 knots.

Whether the teams choose to hug the coast staying out of the strongest tide and biggest seas but sacrificing better winds, or gamble against the current and sea state in favour of higher wind speeds, could hold the key to success – or failure.

“We've just got to work out the best way to get to the finish,” Cape said. “Unfortunately that involves heading up towards Vietnam, where there's stronger winds particularly on the corner. 

“We have to take that on and hopefully it won't be too bad and the winds won't be super strong. So we just have to make sure nothing goes wrong. 

“That will be a very tricky stage. Hopefully the next day will be pretty straightforward but the Vietnam part will be very tricky indeed.”

Jordi Calafat of Telefonica

When it comes to success in sailing’s highest profile competitions for Team Telefónica’s Jordi Calafat, it’s a case of been there, done that, lifted the trophy.

"A central member of Team Telefónica, a crew brimming with champion sailors, Calafat is revered by his team mates both on and off the water"

At 43 Calafat is one of Spain’s most successful sailors with an Olympic gold medal, three world championship titles and an America’s Cup victory to his name.

It would seem whatever Calafat turns his hand to he finds success – and if Team Telefónica are at the top of the podium when the Volvo Ocean Race ends in Galway in July, he will be the only person ever to have won Olympic gold, an America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.

A central member of Team Telefónica, a crew brimming with champion sailors, Calafat is revered by his team mates both on and off the water.

Regarded as one of the best helmsmen in the Volvo Ocean Race, he is also a sails expert, and responsible for co-ordinating the design, construction and upkeep of Telefónica’s round the world sail wardrobe.

“Probably a large proportion of success in this race is down to sails. It’s a very difficult job and Jordi has done a world-class job at getting the sails prepared for this race,” said Telefónica’s veteran navigator Andrew Cape.

“Once the sails are on the boat we’ve got to sail the boat, and you can’t get better than Jordi,” Cape said, adding: “World champion, gold medallist, Cup winner – he’s the best."

Earlier this week when Telefónica damaged their vital code zero headsail within a few hours of the start of Leg 3 Stage 2 it was Calafat who stepped up to lead the repair process which got his team back to full speed within 24 hours.

Calafat won the Optimist World Championship by the time he was 15 and nine years later he took gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 470 class together with Kiko Sánchez.

Two world championship wins in 470s followed, and in 2007 he was part of the Swiss team Alinghi as they won the America’s Cup.

“He was crucial with Telefónica Blue and he’s even more so now,” said Telefónica trimmer Xabi Fernández, who along with skipper Iker Martínez was named 2010 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year in recognition of their success in the sport.

“He is in charge of the sail program, which is obviously the engine of this boat. Also, he is one of the helmsman and trimmers on board.

“He is a very complete guy, also a sail maker, he fixes sails when they´re broken. It’s really good to have him on board.”

Antonio Cuervas-Mons, one of Telefónica’s three sailors under 30, summed up Calafat’s reputation succinctly: “He’s a legend in Spanish sailing,” he said.

Telefonica Scrutiny in Volvo Ocean

The Volvo Ocean Race competition is so close that teams are scrutinising every campaign component, even team dynamics, in a desperate bid to maximise performance and find an edge.

"We are becoming friends and this is important too because we aren't machines. We need to be happy and enjoy our racing and that really is happening with this team" - skipper Iker Martínez

On board overall race leader Telefónica, team spirit is perceived as such an important weapon in their artillery that it is regarded as almost equivalent to an extra spinnaker in terms of the difference it can make to a boat’s progress.

Skipper Iker Martínez has worked hard at creating a dynamic amongst his team so that when push comes to shove it would drive his team to the front of the fleet, the top of the podium or into the hall of fame.

"One of the most difficult parts of this race is managing a big team, which is something I have never done before," said Martínez who has spent the past 13 years racing as part of a two man Olympic 49er team or two man offshore crew.

"This is why we wanted people with a lot of experience on the team. They are so important because they help with the management. 

"We are building a team where everyone is thinking about his own area, but looking also at the bigger picture so that big mistakes are avoided."

Martínez is the main architect of the Telefónica team, having carefully handpicked each sailor with the help of campaign manager Pedro Campos.

A priority for Martínez was ensuring that the cultural sailing differences were minimised between his predominately Spanish team and British watch captain Neal McDonald and Australians Andrew Cape and Zane Gills.

"For the non Latin guys, it can be difficult but I think Neal is more Latin than he thought he was because he seems to like the way we work,’’ Martínez said.

"I am very proud of my team. They are working well together. We have no plans to make any changes.”

While Telefónica have won two legs, it was very close says Martínez. He knows full well that the bad luck that struck PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG on the first leg could easily strike his team, and he’s not taking anything for granted while preparing for the second stage of Leg 3. 

"The difference looks much bigger on the leaderboard than it actually is so I am surprised that we are in the sort of position that we dreamed about before the race,’’ he said.

"That's nice, but the difference between the teams is very small. We have also been lucky while other teams have been unlucky. 

"What happened to PUMA is not normal - they prepared their boat well, they have a very good team but then they break their mast. This could easily happen to us."