Abu Dhabi: One design racing has so far served up just the outcome Volvo Ocean Race fans, sailors and organisers alike had hoped for with the introduction of the new identical Volvo Ocean 65s — incredibly close-fought racing and thrilling finishes.
After Leg 2 was brought to a close when Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) sailed in to Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Monday, the standings showed three boats locked together on four points at the top.
Team Brunel, winners on Saturday of the latest stage between Cape Town and Abu Dhabi, are ranked highest on the scoreboard as victors of the most recent leg.
But Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who claimed the first leg between Alicante and Cape Town, and Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), who finished as close runners-up in the opening two stages, are also on four points and equally ideally placed.
The three joint-leaders are clearly the form teams in a fleet that has been, for the moment, reduced to six following the grounding of Team Vestas Wind’s boat on a reef near St. Brandon in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
But fourth-placed MAPFRE, Team Alvimedica and Team SCA all have grounds for optimism despite finishing in the Leg 2 pacesetters’ wake on Sunday and Monday.
The Spanish boat, MAPFRE, eased into Abu Dhabi in fourth place after 24 days, 11 hours and 18 minutes at sea on Sunday morning.
They finished just off the podium, but there were plenty of smiles on board Iker Martinez’s boat following their considerable improvement on Leg 1, when they finished last.
“We’re very happy, the improvement since Leg 1 is huge and I’m proud of everyone doing a good job,” said Martinez.
Team Alvimedica’s young crew can also congratulate themselves on the many positives of their leg that took a detour on November 29, when they sailed to the assistance of the stricken Team Vestas Wind. They still have the option of a claim for redress for their actions to be heard by an independent, ISAF-appointed international jury.
For now, though, skipper Charlie Enright wants to reflect on the performance and pinpoint where improvements can be made.
“Part of us wants to start Leg 3 tomorrow, but it will be good to have some time to rest and reflect,” said the 30-year-old skipper. “We’re excited about where we are. It’s just a matter of refining some small things.”
Team SCA were frustrated at finishing sixth, but determined to put it right on the next stage.
“We are determined to grow from our mistakes and take the time in the next two-and-a-half weeks to really fix them,” said the team’s onboard reporter Corinna Halloran.
“The debrief might possibly be the most important debrief to date, as we now fully understand the complexities of the race and the other teams. We will analyse, in detail, our strengths and weakness in order to capitalise on our strengths and remedy our weaknesses.”
The crews will now take a breather over Christmas while the shore crews check out the boats for the next three weeks. The Abu Dhabi in-port race will be held on January 2, before the fleet sets sail again for the 4,670-nautical mile Leg 3 to Sanya in China the following day.
