Volvo Ocean Race: "We have our smile back"

It had already become apparent that Team Brunel would not achieve the same success with the early push southwards as with the breakout to the north soon after the starting signal. For days, the competition had been closing in on skipper Bouwe Bekking and his team. First and foremost Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. On Saturday, Brunel's on-board reporter Stefan Koppers had already written with humour: "Do you know the feeling when you watch a thriller and the villain just won't die? That's super annoying! After the 'clash of the titans' between the good guy and the bad guy, the villain is dumped in the ravine. Happy is the hero who embraces his loved ones whom he has protected from the villain. But suddenly it turns out that the bastard is still alive because he miraculously managed to save himself with a one-handed grab for a cliff edge. And the whole fight starts all over again. That's how it feels for me with Abu Dhabi. They just won't give up the fight! Halfway through the race, I hoped that Ian Walker's crew was beaten. After Capey's masterstroke with the north option was successful, we had a comfortable 65 nautical mile lead. Once from Rotterdam to Utrecht ... and back!!! But within two nights the Arabs had pushed it down to 14 nautical miles. These guys from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are tough villains. But it won't do them any good!"

In view of the positioning, Coppers' last sentence expressed hope rather than faith - the hope that Brunel's skipper Bouwe Bekking would never give up as "the true hero". Bekking, Coppers reports, was still grinning pugnaciously on Friday and said: "We are still in the lead. And we will defend it."

But nothing came of it. Team Brunel had ventured too far south and got stuck in the shallow waters, while the competition passed the yellow boat a little further north. So Bekking and his experienced navigator Andrew Cape had no choice but to cross the stern of the leading boats and rejoin the field. The Dutchmen, who were still "flying" last week, are now in fifth position and will have to fight if their version of a thriller is to come true when they cross the finish line in Auckland in about a week's time.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing was in the lead early on Sunday morning, 5.4 nautical miles ahead of the Spanish "Mapfre" crew and the resurgent Dongfeng Race Team. Skipper Charles Caudrelier had already expressed his relief for the overall leaders under the Chinese flag on Saturday: "We are back in the southern hemisphere. We've got our smiles back over the past few days and are sailing in a podium position again. Yesterday we overtook SCA, this morning Mapfre. We are fast and that feels good."

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's crew is also sailing towards the finish line in high spirits. Anbord reporter Matt Knighton reported: "In the smooth blue waters of the South Pacific, Ian (ed.: skipper Ian Walker) is in high spirits. Looking ahead to the expected displacement race to the south, Ian summarised the upcoming scenario for us: 'I wouldn't be surprised if it ends with us and Dongfeng in a match race until the end of the leg to Auckland."

The fact that Walker no longer mentions the Dutch, who have been in the lead for so long, may be the calculation of the "villain" from Stefan Kopper's dreams. Or simply the current situation: Team Brunel, to its own horror and the horror of its fans, is now 34 nautical miles behind the leaders, having lost 15 nautical miles on Sunday night alone when rejoining the field. After 14 days at sea, it seems doubtful whether the Dutch team will make a comeback in this stage thriller.