Last night Team Telefónica lost the lead to Groupama sailing team as they put in a tack to the east, however, by 7am this morning (1 February) captain Iker Martinez and the rest of his Telefónica crew were back in the lead.
Also, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG managed to split east from the fleet in a move which, if they are lucky, could see them rocket past their rivals.
How do things stand at the moment?
Currently, Team Telefónica are at the top of the leaderboard with a narrow seven-point buffer, thanks to their wins in Leg 1, Leg 2 and the V&A Waterfront In-Port Race in Cape Town. The team managed to set a high standard early on in the Volvo Ocean Race however they are not invulnerable, having finished at the back in the Iberdrola In-Port Race in Alicante as well as the Etihad Airways In-Port Race in Abu Dhabi.
Second in the rankings are CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. These guys have been extremely consistent throughout and have only finished outside the top three on one occasion so far, however, they are also yet to win a leg.
The final spot on the podium is currently taken up by Groupama who are the first French team to take part in the race for 19 years. They have shown some very clever sailing so far and are building a reputation for using some great tactics and making some bold moves and after more than 20,000 nautical miles sailed they are really finding their feet.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have come into the second part of Leg 3 looking rejuvenated after back-to-back wins in the Etihad Airways In-Port race and the Leg 3 Stage 1 sprint from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah. Their skipper, double Olympic silver medallist, Ian Walker has proved a force to be reckoned with inshore. Offshore they have been pretty sporadic , missing out on the first leg when they lost their mast. Like PUMA, Abu Dhabi are looking to show their potential in the offshore legs.
Ken Read has lead PUMA Ocean Racing to flashes of brilliance, but after breaking their mast whilst challenging for the lead in Leg 1 they have been waiting for a chance to rediscover their form.
And finally, Team Sanya have had a bit of a nightmare, but are still pushing on despite the adversity they have faced. In Leg 1 they had to retire with damage to the hull and in Leg 2 they were suspended whilst in the lead due to rigging failure, however, they are back to race the second stage of leg 3 which ends up in their home port.
Picture: Diego Fructuoso/Team Telefonica/Volvo Ocean Race
