It was sweet revenge for the French team, who had been battered by the winds in the convergence zone at the equator in the first part of the second stage, when they were relegated from first to fourth place. However, Groupama was in top form after piggybacking to the second leg, which led over 98 miles from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi. With 20 knots of wind from the north-west and a suitable wave, the French team caught Team Telefónica, which was still sailing strongly, shortly before the finish and won by just under a minute.
The Spaniards couldn't care less. After the heart-stopping finish in the first stage, they also took the overall victory in this extremely curious stage and extended their lead in the overall standings over the New Zealand team from Camper to eight points. "We were very fast today," said a satisfied Cammas at the finish. "We were a little worried about the repairs in the morning, but now that we're so fast, we'd better leave them alone."
Camper came in third, ahead of Puma, who again disappointed, and the Abu Dhabi team, who were nevertheless greeted with applause and fireworks from the spectators. "It wasn't quite the result we had hoped for, but we struggled to get that far in the first place," commented skipper Ian Walker. "When the mast came down from the top, it didn't look like we were going to make it to Abu Dhabi for a while. To come in here to a reception like this is fantastic."
2nd stage, 2nd leg:1. Groupama, 6 points; 2. Telefónica 5; 3. Camper 4; 4. Puma 3; 5. Abu Dhabi 2.
2nd stage overall:1. Telefónica 29 points; 2. Camper 24; 3. Puma 19; 4. Groupama 18; 5. Abu Dhabi 10.
Status after 2 stages:1st Telefónica 66 points; 2nd Camper 58; 3rd Groupama 42; 4th Puma 28; 5th Abu Dhabi 19; 6th Team Sanya 4 (still has to finish the first leg of stage 2).
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