It's going to be rough and wild like the Southern Ocean. Winds of up to 45 knots are forecast. And everyone will be put through the wringer, because there is no escape from the core of the depression that has been ordered to lie right across the bow of the Volvo riders on their way to Lorient, the destination of the penultimate leg.
"It's going to be a fast ride," surmises Abu Dhabi's cameraman Nick Dana: "The seas could be terrible because the soup has been brewing for a few days." His colleague, navigator Jules Slater, even speaks of "exceptionally nasty" conditions that the sailors are facing.
Drama seems guaranteed, and excitement too, as the top three Telefonica, Groupama and Puma were only separated by 4.5 miles at midday. There won't be many overtaking lanes, however, as they are all sailing with the same wind from the west on the same course to the north-east. Weal or woe is therefore a question of boat speed and the tactical dosage of the same in order to avoid material breakage, which would be fatal at this late stage.
"The last 1000 miles require the right balance between control and safety, because everyone wants to sail that little bit harder than the rest," said Hamish Hooper, Camper's media man, summarising the situation. So things are coming to a head in the Volvo Ocean Race. Fast is no longer good enough. If you want to win, you also have to make no mistakes. And arrive in one piece.
