The Spaniards have emerged as top favourites. For the second time in a row, the Mapfre team led by skipper Xabi Fernandez has won a dress rehearsal for the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. After the overall victory in the so-called Leg Zero, which consisted of three legs, the red and whites have now also won the prologue from Lisbon heading for the starting harbour of Alicante. Mapfre crossed the finish line at Cabo de Gata with a 17-minute lead over Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel, who came on strong at the end.
The crews report from on board on course Alicante
"That was a good workout," said the happy skipper Fernandez shortly after crossing the finish line. "It was a close race and I'm really happy with our team performance." Both the Spaniards and the Dutch, who finished just behind them, owed their good positions primarily to an early strategic decision: both teams had opted for a course close to the Portuguese coast at the start of the prologue and benefited from this with a good lead. AkzoNobel's skipper Simeon Tienpont also confirmed this: "Mapfre and Brunel chose a different course and it paid off. But in competition with the rest of the fleet, we achieved the best possible result. This third place gives me a lot of confidence."
Just nine minutes after AkzoNobel secured the second podium place for a Dutch team, Dee Caffari's Turn the Tide on Plastic crossed the finish line in fourth place - a strong performance by the only balanced mixed team in the fleet of seven yachts. Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng crew were probably less pleased with their position. The team flying the Chinese flag is considered a co-favourite for the upcoming ocean marathon alongside Mapfre and Brunel, but was unable to distinguish itself in the prologue and had to settle for sixth place behind the Danish team Vestas 11th Hour Racing and ahead of David Witt's once again beaten team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag.
All teams are expected to arrive in Alicante in the early hours of Thursday morning, where the first official practice session will take place on Friday and the Mapfre In-Port Race Alicante on Saturday. This is another reason why the organisers shortened the race to give the teams enough time to prepare for the first important start.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
