Volvo Ocean Race- Team Alvimedica wins the first half of Leg 9 by 26nm
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 19 Jun 2015
Team Alvimedica arrives on June 19, 2015. At the Pitstop in The Hague during Leg 9 to Gothenburg; Victor Fraile/Volvo Ocean Race
http://www.volcooceanrace.com
The Turkish/USA flagged entry Team Alvimedica has escaped the clutches of the French coast and has romped to a massive lead in Leg 9 and has finished in The Hague a massive 26nm ahead of the second placed boat
Ït always feels good going into the locker-room at half-time when you are ahead' was skipper Charlie Enright's comment.
The team will start a massive 26nm ahead of the second starter - the boat's restart times will be based on the time they are ahead, rather then the distance. Organisers are currently saying that the start differential will be about 90 minutes ahead of Dongfeng who is sailing at 10-12kts to the finish.
Skipper Charlie Enright's response to the news of the margin was 'Wow, that's a Marathon'!'
When he passed the comment onto his crew, Enright was told they had to put the sails away. Clearly their focus is on finishing the job on Gothenburg.
Dongfeng finished an hour and 46m after Team Alvimedica coming into the finish at speeds of 24kts - reducing the time margin substantially.
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