Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

Volvo Ocean Race – MAPFRE continue Leg Zero dominance in final stage

by Volvo Ocean Race on 13 Aug 2017
Leg Zero, St Malo to Lisbon start – Volvo Ocean Race Brian Carlin / Volvo Ocean Race
MAPFRE maintained their near-faultless performance in Volvo Ocean Race qualifying – and gave themselves the best possible chance of completing overall victory in the Leg Zero series – as they led the fleet over the finish line on a short opening stage of the final race out of Saint-Malo.

Extended periods of extremely light weather meant that the Saint-Malo to Lisbon leg had to be split into two parts.

As expected, the Volvo Ocean 65s stayed tightly bunched on the first of those, a drag race towards Le Grand Lejon. Vestas 11th Hour Racing were neck-and-neck with MAPFRE for the lead, with the Spanish side just pipping them to the line.



Dongfeng Race Team grabbed third ahead of Turn the Tide on Plastic and team AkzoNobel. Preliminary unofficial results gave Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag and Team Brunel the same time, with less than a mile between the first and last teams in the seven-boat fleet.

Now that the teams have completed their ‘Sunday drive’ – a 25nm sprint in just 10 knots – they can prepare for the restart which will begin from Chaussé de Sein at 0900 UTC on Monday. It will be a staggered start based on the finishing deltas from Sunday.

The fleet will start with light south easterlies that will quickly die and then come back from the west. This will be a critical transition to manage as the whole race course will favour the leaders and punish the stragglers.



The fleet will negotiate the passage of a cold front early Tuesday morning and the new wind will set them up for a downwind drag race towards Cape Finisterre, the northwestern tip of Spain. It will be a race for their competitive lives – with light winds chasing them as a ridge of high pressure again pushes into the normally tempestuous Bay of Biscay.

'Leg Zero has been really good for us,' said MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernández, whose team have won two out of the three races completed so far. 'Saint-Malo to Lisbon is the last stop so it's not quite over yet but I'm so happy with the team, the boat... Everything seems to be working out.'

After negotiating the narrow channel between Cape Finisterre and the out-of-bounds shipping channel, they'll have a pretty simple run down the Portuguese coast. There's no major strategic play here, just pure speed before a handbrake turn into the Tagus river and the finish in downtown Lisbon.



“You only enter races to win – but the forecast is flukey so everything’s on the table,” said Vestas 11th Hour Racing skipper Charlie Enright. “Everyone’s expectation is to be competitive and to continue to refine the areas that we realise need work.”

Overall standings after three of four completed races in Leg Zero:

1. MAPFRE 23 points
2. Team Brunel 20
3. Dongfeng Race Team 19
4. team AkzoNobel 15
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing 12
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic 9
7. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag 7

While an overall winner will be declared, no points will be carried forward to the Volvo Ocean Race itself, which starts on 22 October from Alicante.

Armstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOMHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeSwitch One Design

Related Articles

Germany Deutsche Bank claim first SailGP event win
Race Day 2 of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva.
Posted today at 4:03 pm
SailGP: Germany score first Event win - Day 2
The German crew led by Erik Heil sailed consistently, on a day where inconsistency was punished. Perhaps it was not surprising that in a nation known for its horology, that the time-clock should have played such a dominant role for the Final day of SailGP Switzerland.
Posted today at 3:07 pm
2025 Dutch Water Week day 4
At the end of the city's main shopping street, spectators could watch the racing The penultimate day of the Dutch Water Week brought Olympic-class sailing and windsurfing right into the heart of Almere.
Posted today at 11:13 am
America's Cup: Controversial agreement signed
According to Italian media, the secret AC Partnership agreement has been signed by CoR/D* International sailing journalist, Fabio Pozo, writing for the Milan based newspaper La Stampa, reports that the secret America's Cup Partnership (ACP) agreement is expected to be signed next week.
Posted today at 10:46 am
Women's Match Racing Worlds in Chicago overall
History made: Match in Pink Team wins fifth consecutive title Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team from Le Havre in France have once again proven their dominance in the sport of match racing, capturing their fifth consecutive World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship title
Posted today at 9:22 am
Race to the Finish with Paprec Arkéa
Zhik is the official gear partner for The Ocean Race Europe The Ocean Race Europe has again proven why it is one of the most demanding tests in sailing. With Zhik as the official gear partner, the Paprec Arkéa crew faced the extremes of Europe's waters equipped for the challenge.
Posted today at 8:00 am
J/105 North American Championship overall
Randy's Hecht's Niuhi three-peats as champion In the finale of the J/105 North American Championship, Randy Hecht claimed victory for the third time, with crew Russ Silvestri, Ethan Doyle, Maggie Bacon, David Janinis and Stephen Marsh.
Posted today at 3:26 am
New trophy for 2025 Six Metre Worlds
Presented by HM King Juan Carlos of Spain The Opening Ceremony for the 2025 International Six Metre Open and Classic World Championships saw the 29 participating teams from nine nations gather on the waterside lawn of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club.
Posted today at 3:08 am
David Porter, King of Sydney Harbour in the 1970s
During one of the greatest eras in the 134-year history of the 18ft Skiff class During a 10-year career in the 18s from 1970-71 to 1979-80, inclusive, Dave Porter won the 1975 World Championship, three Australian and five NSW (State) championships as well as numerous club championships.
Posted today at 12:51 am
SailGP: Australia on top in Geneva- Day 1
The Flying Roos (AUS) top of the leaderboard, after the first day of racing in SailGP Switzerland. The Flying Roos sit on top of the leaderboard, after the first day of racing in SailGP Switzerland. This was the first test of the new light air foils, and three races were sailed, all completed within the time limits.
Posted today at 12:35 am