Volvo Ocean Race: "Land of opportunity or entrance to hell"

While the fleet is travelling at speeds of around 21 knots along the ice edge towards Cape Horn and has already completed a good third of the first section of the leg from Auckland to the Horn, there are changes in the order with every position report. The battle between the teams at the front remains extremely exciting!

On Friday morning, Dongfeng Race Team took the lead by just under a nautical mile ahead of Spanish team Mapfre, who were leading the overall standings. Vestas 11th Hour Racing followed ahead of Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel, which has got back on track with a repaired J2. The first four boats were separated by just five nautical miles on the morning of the sixth day at sea. The pursuers AkzoNobel - who were still leading at the same time yesterday - and Dee Caffari's Team Turn the Tide on Plastic have also moved much closer to the leading boats overnight and are now only 10 (AkzoNobel) and 20 nautical miles (Turn the Tide on Plastic) behind Dongfeng.

On land, Bruno Dubois had called on his team's fighting spirit on Thursday. Apparently with success. The director of the Dongfeng Race Team recalled that his team around skipper Charles Caudrelier had lost the mast on this leg of the last edition of the race around the world and chose pithy words to cheer on the seven men and two women on board the boat flying the Chinese flag: "This is now the land of opportunity or the entrance to hell." It almost looks as if Caudrelier and co. have heard him. Once again, the two red boats from Mapfre and Dongfeng, which are also leading in the overall standings, are currently battling for the lead in first and second place.

In a blog from on board, AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont described how it felt to be on the Queen's leg from Auckland to Itajaí in the Southern Ocean: "We are going as far south as we are allowed. We cruise along the ice edge at 54 degrees south and sail quickly to the east. The water is as cold as on an autumn day in Holland. But the sun is shining like in the Mediterranean. That makes for wonderful sailing conditions! Nicolai (Dane, editor) and I feel very comfortable, almost at home. Martine (Brazilian, ed.) is less happy about the cold conditions and is already wearing all layers of clothing... . The atmosphere on board is good. Everyone is working hard for each other." The first almost 2000 of the longest leg of the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, totalling 7600 nautical miles, will be completed on Thursday evening.