Volvo Ocean Race: "It's going to be a thriller!"

Just three hours after the contested start to the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, three teams - Mapfre (Spain), Brunel (Netherlands) and Dongfeng (China) - had already pulled away slightly from the field at the head of the fleet on the Atlantic course. The Spaniards led the field by one nautical mile ahead of Brunel and two nautical miles ahead of Dongfeng. The American-Danish team Vestas 11th Hour Racing, which was leading the overall standings after winning the first leg, was initially only in fifth place and was already more than four nautical miles behind Mapfre after three hours.

In summary: the exciting start to the second leg of the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, which will take the field from Lisbon over around 7000 nautical miles to Cape Town

According to Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier, the second leg from Lisbon over 7,000 nautical miles to Cape Town, which started on Sunday, is the first "real" leg of the sailing classic, which will take the seven participating teams around the world on eleven legs. The 46 male and 16 female sailors can expect storms, heat and doldrums at the equator and a merciless sailing rally through the Atlantic to the southern tip of South Africa. "This is the start of the real Volvo Ocean Race," said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier about his favourite leg. "The differences between the boats will be their speed and the strategic decisions." The experienced sailor continued: "The positioning of the boats on the course will be crucial. There are many options and even a very extreme one..." Dongfeng's prominent meteorologist Macel van Triest predicted before the start of the second leg: "It's going to be a thriller!"

Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel also started the second longest leg of the ocean marathon to Cape Town, where the fleet is expected to arrive at the end of November, highly motivated after winning the harbour race in Lisbon. Skipper and record participant Bekking, who lived in Hamburg for many years, said after a disappointing sixth place in stage 1 and before the start on Sunday in Lisbon: "The real race is just beginning! We want to turn the tide on this leg. Offshore sailing is a different game. It's actually a very simple one: whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins." Bekking's team had repaired the rudder of his boat, which had been damaged on the first leg, and carried out intensive debriefings in Portugal and is now hoping for a "fresh start" and a podium finish.

Click here for the interim results.

With scenes from the lives of sailor Carolijn Brouwer and her young son Kyle, Team Dongfeng shows what participation in the Volvo Ocean Race also means for the families of the team members. And sends a thank you to them all.