Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel was able to reduce its deficit in the battle for overall victory in the Volvo Ocean Race overnight. The more than 25 nautical miles gap from Friday morning has melted down to around five nautical miles. In the triangle between Gothenburg, Kristiansand and Skagen, the seven boats are positioning themselves for the race on course for the North Sea and the final approach to The Hague. At around 8 o'clock on Saturday morning, the leading boats still had a good 440 nautical miles to go to the finish harbour. It seems that the organisers had done a great job with some additional waypoints: The hopes of the fans in The Hague for a Sunday final should be fulfilled.
In light to moderate winds, the boats were close to the Norwegian coast around Larvik on Saturday morning. As if catching their breath one last time, the teams will now set off and cross the imaginary line between Kristiansand in Norway and Aalborg in Denmark during the course of the day, before finally competing for the crown in the 13th edition of the ocean marathon in the currently windy North Sea.
On social media, the comments and cheers from fans are increasing by the hour. Many cruising sailors have now had the pleasure of meeting the Volvo yachts on their way to the finish line. On Saturday night, Brunel's on-board reporter Sam Greenfield described just how intense this last decisive "battle" in the Volvo Ocean Race is for the crew: "We're heading straight back to Norway. The boats are sailing at 20 to 22 knots. The whole crew have nothing else on their minds but to look for possible overtaking lanes as this already short leg slips away. 'I'm trying to think positively,' Abby said, 'but it's tough. Carlo almost falls asleep at the main grinder despite the wind and spray. The whole crew is exhausted. Which is down to the sheer intensity and volume of sail changes and manoeuvres. This will be the most exhausting leg of the entire race."
The teams still have to hold out until Sunday. This will inevitably lead to a thriller at the finish. Hundreds of thousands of fans in The Hague will probably be able to see live which of the three teams on the boats vying for overall victory - Dongfeng, Mapfre and Brunel - will have the most staying power by then.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
