Wet and wild rides

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17 Jun 2012, 16:40UTC

Wet and wild rides

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The raw power of the North Atlantic storm the fleet encountered on the way from Lisbon to Lorient on Leg 8 produced some of the fastest sailing and most incredible footage since the teams took on the southern ocean on Leg 5.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, skippered by Ken Read from the USA, in tough seas, on the approach to the finish of leg 8, from Lisbon, Portugal, to Lorient, France, during the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race

Race leaders Groupama Sailing Team, skippered by Franck Cammas from France, finish first on leg 8, from Lisbon, Portugal, to Lorient, France, during the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Chris Nicholson from Australia, in rough weather, on the approach to the finish of leg 8, from Lisbon, Portugal, to Lorient, France, during the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race

Safely in Lorient, even the sailors themselves struggled to articulate fully what it was like to career down winds at breakneck speeds up to 40 knots -- often in the dark.

To fully understand what the crews went through to get to Lorient, you really had to be there.

Fortunately for the rest of us, the teams’ Media Crew Members (MCMs) were willing to brave the fearsome conditions and beam back some incredible on-deck footage.

We hope you enjoy this short compilation of the fastest, wettest most extreme rides on the planet.