The Volvo Ocean Race keeps sailors and fans on tenterhooks: nothing stays the same! Overnight, the Chinese Dongfeng Race Team had even taken the lead at one point. Then, on Friday afternoon, Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team was back in front. Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel remained nine nautical miles behind at the stern of "Azzam". The Danish team Vestas Wind and the US team Alvimedica were also still in contention behind Dongfeng Race Team, which had slipped back into third place, 53 and 80 nautical miles behind the leaders. The Spanish team Mapfre (230 nautical miles behind) and the women's team SCA (353 nautical miles behind) were still not within striking distance. All the boats had held on until the morning and set an easterly course to Cape Town. Even the last boats in the pack joined in, accepting the risk of light winds in favour of the shorter route to Cape Town. They hardly have any other choice: the possibly premature deviation from the southerly to the easterly course is their only chance to improve in the remaining days until the finish off Cape Town next week.
Team Alvimedica's on-board reporter Amory Ross wrote: "It's like flicking a light switch. On follows off in the blink of an eye. The expected westerly winds of the South Atlantic are finally here - currently at 28 knots - I'll never stop marvelling at how quickly life on board can change. One moment you're enjoying a cosy nap in your sleeping bag in twelve knots of wind. Everything is running smoothly, tranquillo, as Charlie says. Maybe the batteries even ran out while you were dreaming, dreaming of home or maybe of a steak in Cape Town. It doesn't really matter - you're dreaming. Then you're woken up by something, you open your eyes and ears and suddenly there's a completely different, alarming scenario. It's pretty chaotic. Your eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. The only light comes from the red headlamps of the men around you, who are doing pretty much the same thing as you. The boat hammers through the night like an out-of-control goods train, ploughing a trench in the ocean as it eats up every drop of water on its course. It's loud, always loud like a constant rumble of thunder in the distance. You can actually hear the speed, you can feel it. It's like accelerating a sports car off-road in the rain - with your eyes closed. People on deck are shouting. Bags are flying around below deck. The waves shoot through the hatch. You and everyone are trying to do nothing but crawl out of your sleeping bag and wake up, just get to your feet."
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's onboard reporter Matt Knighton confirmed: "We have crossed the fortieth parallel and are technically in the roaring forties. It's not roaring at full strength yet, but a front has come through tonight and we've had wind speeds of around 25 knots all night. I knew it was blowing hard when Chuny came back and said, out of breath, "That's ok, isn't it?" Before I could answer, he started stuffing all the heavier gear under and into my sleeping bag because the bow of our boat kept digging into the waves and we needed the weight in the stern. But it was a nice day's sailing until dinner. The stronger winds are welcome."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
