Volvo Ocean Race - Up up and away

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team on 22 Jan 2015 Volvo Ocean Race 2015 - The nightmares of the Malacca Straits behind them, leg three leaders Dongfeng Race Team have now well and truly entered the South China Sea, clearing Singapore without too many problems on the way to Sanya. China, a little over 1000 miles away.

They are stil 63 miles to the four boat pack fighting for second lead by Abu Dhabi whilst negotiating their way through the armadas of oil tankers and container ships moored off Singapore.

The middle pack have enjoyed a NNE Wind of between 30-45º allowing them to sail an almost direct course at 10-15kts boat speed south through the Malacca Strait past the exclusion line with no manoeuvres at all.

It would only have taken a small difference in the weather patterns for this to be a truly painful passage.

At 0300 local time in Singapore, as the boats pass in the dead of night, the area will be illuminated by the navigation lights on the ships as they beat up through into morning at 10kts and we expect the pack to be in the South China Sea by mid-morning, and Team SCA to be out by early afternoon (local).

The next challenges this leg has to offer will be the routing for the South China Sea. Two main options exist - one, heading up the Malaysian shore line through the Pulau Tioman Islands, or two, through the Kepulanuan Anambas Islands and Raiu Islands spread between Malaysia and Indonesia at the narrowest point.

Will Volvo Ocean Race Leg three leader Dongfeng have the Sanya China win they have dreamt about?

Will the Chinese boat, down the Malacca Strait now round the corner at Singapore and heading east extend into an unassailable lead or crack under the enormous weight of Chinese expectations?

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The Sail-World team will be at Volvo Ocean Race headquarters in 12 hours to interview CEO Knut Frostad just a few hours before he jumps on plane to China. One thing we know for sure is he will be beaming with the thought of the first Chinese leg win and the first time a Chinese boat has ever led the VOR.

But then he will be cautious and probably invoke the very popular Norwegian phrase, ‘It aint over until the fat lady sings’

But right now Charles Caudrelier and his Dongfeng race team have sailed smart and any of the other five skippers would happily swap positons.

The next four boats Abu Dhabi, Alvimedica, Brunel and MAPFRE are now within four miles of each other so it will be a whole new race for these boats. Interesting indeed.

Position report at: 21 Jan 18:55 UTC / Updated 3 hourly

DTL DTG
Dongfeng Race Team 0 1076.2

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 62.7 1138.9

Team Alvimedica 64.2 1140.4

Team Brunel 64.9 1141.2

MAPFRE 66.6 1142.8

Team SCA 142.4 1218.2