"You have to stay close to your opponent," commented Chris Nicholson, the skipper of Camper's restored red racer, which is currently leading the sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. The next opponent, geographically speaking, would be the Abu Dhabi team, which, like the New Zealanders, has chosen the inside course just under land. During the night, both boats had to take wide evasive action to avoid a cable jammer operating off the Brazilian coast.
However, further out, in the middle of the course, Puma has now sailed clear of a private car park and, with three knots more boat speed, is quickly closing the gap on the mathematically leading Kiwis. "There's no elegant way out of this corner," said Puma's navigator Tom Addis. He is referring to the cold front that still separates the boats from the pass zone.
And even further to the east, Groupama and Telefonica have also joined the chase for campers after a frustrating day. "We want to slowly get away from the Brazilian coast," explains Franck Cammas, the skipper of the French team, who is expecting light winds today and is even expecting to have to cross. Until the trade wind picks up, nerves are on edge in this game of patience. Because one thing is certain: every tactical decision now weighs more heavily because the number and length of the legs are decreasing, meaning there is less opportunity to iron out mistakes or breakages.
Speaking of breakage: The damaged boat from Team Sanya, which is not taking part in this leg, is expected to arrive in the harbour of Savannah in the US state of Georgia these days, from where it will be transferred to Miami to sail the transatlantic leg to Portugal after repairing the damage to its oars.
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