Volvo Ocean Race: "We have a mission: we have to beat them!"

Three teams can still win the Volvo Ocean Race when the starting signal for the eleventh and final leg of the 13th edition of the most famous team regatta around the world is given in Gothenburg at 2 pm German time on Thursday. Team Brunel and Mapfre are level on points with 65 points. Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng Race Team can also add the 65th point to the 64 points they have collected over 10 legs and 44,000 nautical miles, which will be transferred to the French-Chinese crew's account as a bonus point for the fastest overall time sailed if they only arrive at the finish harbour in The Hague at an average speed.

But that is not Dongfeng's goal. Just like Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking and Mapfre skipper Xabí Fernandez, Charles Caudrelier knows that only one of the three teams can win the most important crew race around the globe. Whoever reaches The Hague first will be the 2017/2018 Volvo Ocean Race winner, so the scenario could not be more exciting ahead of the 700-nautical-mile final sprint. Quite a few experts expect that the decision in the three-way battle may even come down to a photo finish, and fans around the world are holding their breath.

Charles Caudrelier describes the task ahead as follows: "It's incredible to see the three boats tied on points. I think each of these three teams deserves to win the race. Now it's up to us to push harder to reach The Hague ahead of them. We know it's going to be a big battle. We're looking forward to it and we're ready." Xabí Fernandez, whose team led the race most often, especially at the start, and would like to give Spain its first Volvo Ocean Race victory in the 45-year history of the ocean marathon, said: "We are in an incredible situation: three boats tied on points with one stage to go. I am very happy that we are among these three boats. We will fight. We know that only one can win and we have a mission: we have to beat them."

Bouwe Bekking intends to do the same. Team Brunel's skipper and record eight-time participant has rolled up the field from behind with his team. After finishing sixth in Auckland, the "yellows" have staged an almost unbelievable comeback and won three of the last four stages. For Bekking, the first victory in the race of his life is now within reach. "We're on a roll," he says confidently, "if you look at the classification, we've got faster on every stage. We found a few extra gears on the last stage, which is a great thing. I think we now have a team that we are really happy with. And last but not least: we will be sailing in my home waters! I've lived in Denmark for 25 years, but I grew up over there. We have all the ingredients to win the race."

There is no question who the fans will be rooting for at the finish harbour in The Hague: a sea of Dutch and Brunel flags is likely to be waving. "What we can expect in The Hague has never been seen before in this race. Not even in previous Whitbread times," says Bekking's compatriot, the Dutch AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont. His team's fourth place has been cemented, the path to the podium is no longer mathematically possible. But the second team flying the Dutch flag ideally wants to say goodbye to the race with a stage win. "Up to a million people are expected in The Hague this week," says Tienpont, "which shows the importance of this race in the sporting world and especially in the Netherlands."

The stage start will be here transmitted live. The tracker will remain live throughout the entire stage. The arrival of the boats at the weekend will also be shown live. A great sailing weekend is therefore in store, as the German national sailing team will be competing for Kiel Week victories in the medal races in Strander Bucht at the same time.