Nine months and nine legs. Soon this Volvo Ocean Race will be history, just like the spectacular but not always stable VO70 boats. The fleet has tackled the 550 miles of the final ocean leg and will be in a battle to Galway, with the exception of Groupama , who will be looking to maintain their comfortable 25-point lead. A fourth place on the stage will be enough for overall victory, and that should be more of a compulsory task than a challenge, as the only thing to do is to keep the two weak teams Abu Dhabi and Sanya at bay. For Puma, Camper and Telefonica, however, it's all about the rest of the podium.
After a brisk lap around the 6.5-mile harbour course, which saw speeds in excess of 20 knots, the fleet made its way out into the Atlantic. After the first few hours of racing, the fleet rounded Belle Ile and set course for the next waypoint, Fastnet Rock, which remains to port. Telefonica was out in front, a touch ahead of Camper, which had to turn a penalty circle, Puma and Groupama, which are on target.
Regardless of how this race turns out, Telefonica was the team that set the tone in this Volvo Ocean Race for long stretches, especially at the beginning when they won the first three legs in a row. However, a hiccup in the middle legs and consistently weak performances in the in-port races prevented the matter from being decided too early. This was bad for the Spaniards, but good for the spectators and above all for the organisers, for whom commerce has priority. And this is only served by viewing figures.
But who doesn't remember Telefonica's feat on the Horn, when the sly Spaniards paused for almost a whole day in the shelter of an island with a battered boat to get the sled back in shape, but also to wait for a favourable weather system, with which they subsequently made up hundreds of miles on the leaders Puma and Groupama. At the finish of this spectacular queen stage, they were just a few minutes behind Puma. Nevertheless, they remained at the top of the overall classification for seven stages, which they only had to relinquish to the increasingly strong sailing French in Lisbon.
The final nail in the coffin of Telefonica's hopes of victory was the double rudder breakage on the eighth leg from Lisbon to Lorient. After the first oar broke, they immediately regained the lead. When the second oar broke during a difficult gybe, however, they had exhausted their ammunition and still managed to finish in fifth place, but that was not enough, as their main rivals Groupama were able to clinch what was probably a decisive victory.
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