Volvo Ocean Race: The queen stage has begun

At the start, it was initially the Spanish team Mapfre that was able to put on the best show with dominant positioning and good speed in 20 knots of wind and sunshine. Closely followed by Dongfeng and Brunel, the leaders of the overall standings with New Zealand's Olympic champion and America's Cup winner Blair Tuke on board immediately took command. After two rounds in the harbour off Auckland, cheered on by up to half a million fans on land and on the water, the seven teams headed out to sea. On the 7,600 nautical mile course from New Zealand to Itajaí, the teams will face the challenges of the Southern Ocean in the icy and stormy latitudes of the "Roaring Forties" and the "Furious Fifties". "One hundred per cent of all sailors who have done this leg before say it's too tough," said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier, "but once you've passed Cape Horn, there's this enormous sense of pride that you've conquered your fears."

Goodbye, Auckland! The Volvo Ocean Race fleet bids a furious farewell to the "City of Sails"

The teams are expected to arrive in the Brazilian port of Itajaí in around 18 to 19 days. There is a lot at stake until then, as this leg is highly competitive with a total of 16 points. As on all three Southern Ocean legs, double points are at stake, as well as a bonus point for the first boat at Cape Horn and another extra point for the leg winner. This important section of the 13th edition of the ocean marathon thus gives the front runners the chance to pull away from the field even further. At the same time, the pursuers have the opportunity to significantly reduce the gap between themselves and Mapfre and the Dongfeng Race Team.

For the first time, this round around the world will be played without the option of switching to "invisible" stealth mode for 24 hours. The "stealth cap" may no longer be worn. The participants agreed on this last Friday at a briefing with the regatta management. Because the teams had been playing hide-and-seek during the previous stages, especially towards the end, when the fans have the greatest interest in the position information, all participants had agreed on the cancellation of this tactical variant. The race organisers had initially proposed extending the limit for diving into stealth mode to 500 instead of 200 nautical miles before the finish line. However, the teams preferred to do without the option completely.