"This leg consists of five sections," writes Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker. "The first was leaving the Gulf, then the speed race to Sri Lanka, then the crossing of the Bay of Bengal, the Malacca Straits and finally the long beat to Sanya."
The Brit is not entirely satisfied with the second section, which is now drawing to a close. "The rich got richer, the field has spread out." This morning there were 81 nautical miles between the leading Dongfeng Race Team and Team SCA at the end.
"There's no doubt," continued Walker, "that Dongfeng did a very good job. That shows how important boat speed is and how big the differences can be despite the standardised class. They all sailed more or less the same route."
Apparently the Dongfeng team has found an extra gear, as skipper Charles Caudrelier complained at the end of the second leg that Team Brunel had simply outpaced him with more speed and that he didn't know what they had done differently. Now he is apparently turning the tables.
Now it's time to pass through Sri Lanka before sailing into the Bay of Bengal. This short section also promises to be challenging. Dongfeng is positioned furthest to windward and is therefore the first to enjoy the jet between Sri Lanka and India. However, the team is also closer to the island and therefore further into the slipstream. Skipper Caudrelier writes: "How close can we pass? An impossible decision. Sri Lanka is more than 2000 metres high and creates a slipstream of more than 200 kilometres. We can go further south, but that would mean a lot of extra miles, and there's not that much more wind there either. It could be the key to winning this stage, but unfortunately you need more luck than experience. We don't like that."
While the fleet sails, Team Vestas Wind is fighting to get back into the race. An interim report
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
