Volvo Race Pours into Lisbon

The Volvo Ocean Race shuffle has officially begun with last night’s Leg 7 win by Abu Dhabi Racing. This traverse of the Atlantic from Miami to Lisbon, Portugal, had so many chutes and ladders it caused a mix-up in the overall standings with the past dominate leader Telefónica bounced to second and Groupama moving into first place.

The finish in Lisbon was bittersweet for Abu Dhabi, as it was there that they had to repair the boat after dismasting in the first few hours on the first leg from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa, at the start of the race, causing much disappointment for the team. The finish was tight for all the boats but Abu Dhabi had the pressure on them for the last few days. "It’s incredible," said skipper Ian Walker. "Do you think you can make the last 10 miles of a race any harder than that? It’s one of the most amazing experiences of my sailing career, that’s for sure. Mentally, I’m exhausted."

Groupama came back from last place to second two days ago with brilliant navigation and determination. "It came down to the wire, and we certainly had our ups and downs, but we are very happy," said Groupama skipper Franck Cammas. "It was a good operation for us!" The French do know their way around the Atlantic.

Puma Ocean Racing finished third, which keeps them in contention for the overall lead, 12 points behind new leader Groupama. All the boats finished within five hours of each other after 3,500 miles of racing. Next up are the Lisbon pro-am and in-port races on June 8 and 9, and then off to Lorient, France, on June 10 via the Azores as a turning mark. This will be a challenging course with the Bay of Biscay surely ready to show the fleet some surprises. It ain’t over yet as the top spot overall is still up for grabs with only 21 points separating the top four boats. See www.volvooceanrace.com, and stay tuned for more updates when racing continues.