"That was the worst and most frustrating sailing we've had to endure in our lives so far" - that's how Ken Read, the skipper of Puma Ocean Racing, puts it. Winds from all directions, fronts that do not develop as planned or hoped, and endless sail changes have made life difficult for the sailors on this second leg so far. Not to mention the slow progress. However, nothing is given to the inexperienced viewer, not even a subtle hint as to where the journey is actually going before the ships are literally pulled out of traffic to avoid the pirates off East Africa.
It's a bit grotesque, this race to anywhere, and so it should come as no surprise that Team Sanya, who decided to head north early on Saturday, were able to open up a lead of more than 200 miles over Camper, Puma and Telefonica within a few hours. This was because the favoured teams stayed close together to guard each other - sometimes within sight of each other - and struggled further south-east in search of stable conditions. "We're not fast enough on the water to win this race," said Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson with no illusions. "That's why we need to capitalise on opportunities like this to win a leg or at least finish on the podium."
Such castling should be taken with a good pinch of caution, as even the organiser admits that Sanya's leading position is only closer to a "virtual" waypoint. But the ship, that much is certain, has more wind blowing out from a disturbance off the coast of Madagascar with the risky extreme beat to the west. At times, the Chinese-flagged boat recorded an average speed almost twice as high as the majority of the fleet.
Groupama, which initially stayed in the south for a long time and is now the most easterly boat, has so far had less success with extreme strokes, but has had to contend with difficult conditions. At 05:00 CET, all boats were heading NE, with Sanya having to endure the toughest conditions with a maximum wind speed of 36 knots from the SE. "Sanya and Groupma's tactics seemed very risky," explained Campers skipper Chris Nicholson. "Respect if they've got it right. But let's wait and see."
Frustration in the battle for the best position in the Indian Ocean
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