Last night, the Chinese team Dongfeng was able to open up a larger lead of eight nautical miles over Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and up to 27 nautical miles over the trailing team SCA for the first time. This phase showed, at least for a short time, what was important at the moment. Dongfeng had ventured furthest under the African coast and gained some fresher wind there. The team was then able to make up miles with a long beat to the south-west further out into the Atlantic.
But outside the wind ran out of steam, the chasing pack had made their way back to the coast earlier and had almost caught up again by the current position report.
This little game is likely to be repeated more often, and the decisive factor will be who catches a stable breeze to the west first.
After five days at sea, every team was in the lead at least once, a clear effect of the switch to a standardised class. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing was always right at the front. The tactics of skipper Ian Walker and navigator Simon Fisher are a prime example of positioning in a field of boats of roughly the same speed. Walker describes it as follows: "It seems that our months of preparation only sometimes give us a small advantage and in these light conditions it only makes a tiny difference. What was impressive recently was Dongfeng's downwind speed and two clever tactical decisions that gave them a head start. Above all, we played it safe and never orientated ourselves too far to one side. That kept us in the lead while the positions around us were constantly changing."
Team Mapfre had a special encounter. The Spanish navy was operating in the area that the fleet was crossing and sent out an inflatable boat from which the team led by Iker Martinez was cheered on.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
