A match-racing finish
After almost three weeks of sailing, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet has finally reached Auckland. Setting out from Hong Kong on 7th February 2018, five boats (out of 6, as Vestas 11th Hour Racing did not set off) crossed the finish line in less than half an hour on Tuesday 27th February (during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday on the spot). A match-racing final, therefore, for the longest stage of the race since the start, which was not necessarily expected. Indeed, the organisation was expecting a finish, but not necessarily five boats, as on Sunday, MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team were 140 miles behind the leading trio of Team AkzoNobel, Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag and Turn the Tide on Plastic.
However, as Christian Dumard, the weather forecaster for the race, announced, a zone of high pressure to the north of New Zealand has completely reshuffled the charts over the past 24 hours at sea. A situation enabling the two leaders in the general ranking to catch up with the head of the fleet and fight for victory.
"I can't believe Dongfeng and MAPFRE are here, there's no justice, it's going to be a hard day" On Tuesday morning, David Witt, skipper of Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, expressed his disappointment, while on Turn the Tide on Plastic, British skipper Dee Caffari, directly threatened by the return of the two leaders in the general standings, laughed yellow: "The red boats are back in the race, you're going to laugh at me: 140 miles behind and here they are..."
In the end, only the duo of Team AkzoNobel and Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag managed to keep the two red boats close together and after a final gybe once Rangitoto Island was left to port, it was the first to win at 13:17 (French time, 1:17 am on Wednesday on the spot) after 20 days 9 hours 17 minutes and 26 seconds at sea.
A first stage victory for Team AkzoNobel
Team AkzoNobel, led by skipper Simeon Tienpont, and aboard which the Frenchwoman Cécile Laguette was on board, will have largely led the fleet on this leg by choosing a northern entry option, which has gradually turned into a masterstroke.
"It's been match racing for 7000 miles, it's unreal," commented the Dutch skipper after crossing the line. I've never raced a race like this in my life. We were always in sight of the other boats, it was a neck and neck race, they never stopped attacking and we never stopped defending, I'm too proud of my crew, they never gave up" said the skipper.
At her side, Cécile Laguette, who had lived in Auckland for ten years, was delighted, as she explained "I told myself that if I did the Volvo and the Auckland stage, it was already great; now not only am I doing this stage, but I'm winning it, it's huge! It's the fruit of a long job that paid off superbly. At the start, when we tacked and broke away from the fleet, we thought the others would follow, but that wasn't the case, we ended up in fifth place, and then we had a bit of success. In the end, we got a little bit expensive in the last 24 hours. At the beginning of the last night we still had a 30 mile lead over Scallywag and in the early morning we saw them coming back 200 meters from us and it went on all day."
Arrivals in a handkerchief
At the finish, only 2 minutes and 14 seconds separate the winner of Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag - one of the tightest finishes in the history of the race in Auckland - who, with this second place, confirms his great victory in the previous stage in Hong Kong. "Our team never gave up. This time we didn't win, we had our chances, but AzkoNobel was just a little too good. But we've come a long way since the first stage." David Witt rejoiced on the pontoon in Auckland.
MAPFRE, 3rd, finishes 22 minutes and 12 seconds behind the winner of the day. An unhoped-for podium for the Spanish crew, who spent a large part of the stage at the back of the pack in a knife's edge duel with Dongfeng Race Team, fourth at 2 minutes and 58 seconds behind the Spanish VO65.
"It's gonna be a big fight until the last minute.. commented Dongfeng's skipper, Charles Caudrelier. We've always been together, through good times and bad. As we didn't have a weather forecast at the start, we had to follow someone, so we followed MAPFRE. Unfortunately for us, because for almost the first time since the start of the race, they made a very bad choice, so we ended up last with them. And unfortunately, we came in right behind him, so that's another lost point, it's a shame."
The big loser is finally Turn the Tide on Pastic, who after having been part of the leading trio for a long time lost everything at the finish in Auckland, fifth at 2 minutes and 32 seconds from Dongfeng Race Team. "They deserved better, it's unfair and sad for them to finish fifth, they could have even won, while on our side, we were very lucky to come back, it was a little bit unexpected, but that's the sail." added Charles Caudrelier.
In the overall standings, MAPFRE remains leader and grabs a point from Dongfeng Race Team, while Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag takes third place.
Ranking of the sixth stage Hong Kong-Auckland
- Team AkzoNobel (Simeon Tienpont) 20 days 9 hours 17 minutes and 26 seconds
- Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (David Witt) at 2'14"
- MAPFRE (Xabi Fernandez) at 22'12"
- Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier) at 25'10"
- Turn the Tide on Plastic (Dee Caffari) at 27'42"
- Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking)
No go: 11 th Hour Racing Jacket (Charle Enright)
Overall Volvo Ocean Race standings (after six legs)
- MAPFRE 39 points
- Dongfeng Race Team 34 points
- Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag 26 points
- Team AkzoNobel 23 points
- Vestas 11th Hour Racing 23 points
- Team Brunel 20 points
- Turn the Tide on Plastic 12 points
