The Ocean Race: Team Malizia narrowly ahead of Holcim - PRB with Sanni Beucke

Everything is set for a dramatic finale on leg two of the Ocean Race: the five teams have moved into their desired positions for the time being as they approach the flat wind band off Cape Town. Team Malizia jibed once again on the afternoon of 15 February and initially lost so much ground that fans expressed their concern on social media. "Malizia - Seaexplorer" dropped back to third place by more than 40 nautical miles. The following morning, however, skipper Will Harris, Nico Lunven, Yann Eliès and Rosalin Kuiper regained a narrow lead.

Will Harris: "It's going to be a nail-biter until the end"

Will Harris explained the latest strategic movements of the "Malizia - Seaexplorer" to YACHT online on Friday morning: "We jibed south yesterday because we were the first boat to hit the light winds. At the time, we were north of the competition. We didn't want to fall into the trap of the lighter winds without an escape route. Nico decided that it was best to head south. To do this, we had to jibe and pass behind the competition. That was interesting... As a result, we now met the lighter winds later than the others. As you could see this morning, it paid off. We were ahead of them this morning, even though we had to pass behind them yesterday. But now we're all coming back into the light winds. And we're first. So you can assume that the others will come very close to us again during the day. It's going to be a nail-biter until the end."

However, because a small wind field is now also pushing into the calm zone from the south, Team Malizia could be the first team to benefit from this. It could prove to be a possible bridge across the windless zone on course for the finish line off Cape Town. However, the exact course is difficult to calculate. In the meantime, Guyot Environnement - Team Europe, which was still around 400 nautical miles behind the previous day, has greatly reduced its deficit to around 260 nautical miles. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to attack again in the flat conditions ahead.

Charlie Enright: "The rule will be: first in, first out"

Charlie Enright, skipper of the third-placed US team 11th Hour Racing on Friday morning, said: "We are sailing on a north-easterly trajectory towards Cape Town. On the way we'll hit a bit of a doldrums wall and the whole fleet will tighten up. We'll have to be on our guard, because the rule will be: First in, first out. We could bob around for a while and anyone could overtake anyone. Then we'll finish this stage with a gruelling 100-mile coast-to-coast race. We have to stay fresh until the end."

The task is difficult, as the crews already have a good two weeks of hard labour at sea in their bones. Most recently, many of the sailors found themselves on the humpbacks in the "Rouring Fourties" of the Forties with brutal boat movements and constant This stage was already gruelling. And with the expected arrival time delayed by two or three days, the teams are running low on provisions. Supplies have already been rationed for several days, which increases the physical and mental strain in the final days. Boris Herrmann awaits his team Malizia in Cape Town. His foot, which was scalded on stage one, has been cured.

Boris Herrmann: "The best are always ahead in the end"

How good are his crew's nerves? "They have super strong nerves. Especially Will!" said Herrmann, referring to the difficult tasks ahead. When asked how much navigational skill and how much luck was needed to get through the light wind zone to Cape Town, Herrmann said: "The best are always ahead in the end."

Click here for the Ocean Race Tracker and the intermediate results.