Volvo Ocean Race - Bumping along the fence
by Volvo Ocean Race on 23 May 2015
Leg 7 to Lisbon onboard Dongfeng Race Team. Day 04. We are settled down in a routine of trimming and sail changes; Kevin Escoffier on the bow. Yann Riou / Dongfeng Race Team
Volvo Ocean Race Leg 7 Newport to Lisbon - with 1270 nautical miles to go to the Lisbon finish line the fleet still bumping along the Ice Limit barbed wire fence.
Helped by 20 knots of wind, the fleet is cruising downwind towards the eastern-most ice limit (IL), reaching hard and fast.
Dongfeng Race Team have continued to hold their narrow lead overnight. As the fleet approach IL5, they are the northern-most boat which will make them the inside boat.
That means sailing less distance and should allow them to increase their lead as the fleet approaches the gybe to follow the ice limit north for another 160nm.
Team SCA have been slightly south of the rest of the pack's line, but are now headed north. An expensive move but it seems they had little choice.
There's not much of a decision to be made by the crews other than whether they position themselves north or south of the fleet to cross the Azores high on for the long final leg into Lisbon, where the are expected to arrive on Wednesday, latest Thursday.
This leg has been and will continue to be a drag race to the bitter end.
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