Even though Franck Cammas is a rookie in the Volvo Ocean Race, it's hard to call him a beginner. After all, he (still) holds the record for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation of the world at 48 days. Whether this can be broken by "Banque Populaire V" remains to be seen over the next few weeks. But as a multihull specialist, Cammas is not only an expert in high speeds, but also in the optimum wind angles needed to achieve them.
The French were the only team to choose first a southerly, then an easterly course line on this crazy second leg. In the last 24 hours, on the way north, they were rewarded for their risk-taking with a rough breeze and significantly higher speed, with which they promptly took the lead, while the rest of the field was forced to push further west.
"After the first leg, we had a complex, we didn't want to sail anywhere alone again," admitted Cammas. "But when we saw the huge gate to the south of the front, we went there, but nobody went with us." For him, this is also a better time because his people smile for a change when the positions of the other boats are reported.
Puma was one of the teams that considered both Sanya's western option and Groupama's tactics on the other side, but in the end stayed with the field and especially Telefonica in the centre of the course. "Respect to the French, they took matters into their own hands. They stuck to their game plan and that's paying off, at least for now," said Puma skipper Ken Read, who is currently in third place. He is happy with the boat's performance and its current position. He knows that things could look very different again in the next few days as they sail through the intra-tropical convergence zone.
Meanwhile, Sanya has arrived in Madagascar and has started repairing the rig. "We have a lot on our plate because it's a bigger problem than just replacing a stay," says skipper Mike Sanderson. The shrouds will be replaced on both sides, and that's a pretty big job. Sanya has to complete this part of the race to the secret finish under their own steam to at least get the points for last place, even if they don't make it to Abu Dhabi for the actual leg finish and the in-port race there.
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