"There are still so many traps we can fall into," said skipper Charles Caudrelier on leaving the Malacca Strait. His Dongfeng Race Team was leading the chasing quartet by around 40 nautical miles in the early afternoon position report. He had even sailed a short reach to the north in order to regain a controlling position over the field.
But these 40 nautical miles are not a safe cushion for the remaining 900-plus nautical miles. "There are material traps, like the one we have just experienced," says Caudrelier. The Genoa I had a broken jib line, but the repair only took about 30 minutes and there was no significant loss of the lead. "It was a wake-up call, if we needed one," says Cuadrelier, as they had seen how quickly an 80 nautical mile lead can be lost.
In the middle of the Malacca Strait, the pursuers, led by Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, had closed to within 15 nautical miles, while Dongfeng was in the doldrums. The lead was already over 100 nautical miles. But Dongfeng got the new wind first, while the fleet was stuck in the doldrums.
Everyone has now passed the Malacca Strait and rounded the southern tip of Indonesia.
But even after this nerve-wracking section, the navigation remains challenging. "There are still many weather traps lurking there," says Caudrelier. The crucial thing now is to find the right time to turn northwards in order to then sail as close as possible to the Vietnamese coast in one long stroke. This is because there is a strong counter-current further east in the South China Sea. However, the further you get under the Vietnamese coast, the more land effects play a role there. And finally, off Sanya it looks rather calm - and then anything is possible.
How Dongfeng Race Team rounds Singapore and achieves open water
Summary of the close battle for position in the chasing quartet
At times it was so calm that the anchor was dropped at Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing to avoid drifting backwards
"There are still plenty of opportunities to lose this leg," says the skipper.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
