Volvo Ocean Race

Review

Watch the full replay of the V&A Waterfront In-Port Race Cape Town in HD click here.

Final results:

Position / Team / Time / Points

1. Team Telefónica / 52 minutes, 55 seconds/ 6 points

2. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand / 53 minutes, 38 seconds/ 5 points

3. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG / 53 minutes, 47 seconds / 4 points

4. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / 54 minutes, 14 seconds / 3 points

5. Groupama sailing team / 54 minutes, 44 seconds / 2 points

6. Team Sanya / 57 minutes, 05 seconds  / 1 point


Team Telefónica continued their winning streak on Saturday, claiming victory in the V&A Waterfront In-Port Race at Cape Town to extend their overall lead.

Team Telefónica were followed by CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Groupama sailing team and Team Sanya.

Iker Martínez’s Telefónica remain top of the overall leaderboard provisionally with 37 points. The only change on the leaderboard is PUMA, who have joined Abu Dhabi in joint-fourth position both with nine points.

Martínez said the victory was the perfect way answer the team's critics after finishing last in the first in-port race in Alicante in October.

"We are very happy. It was important for us to do well here in Cape Town after struggling in Alicante,'' he said.

Team Telefónica led the fleet off the start line with a smoking quick sail set that saw them gain an early jump, but their former Leg 1 shadow PUMA again hugged her hip and gained the lead at the first mark.

At the second mark PUMA extended her lead on the fleet, but just 29 seconds and 90 metres separated her and Telefónica in the close quarter combat that was watched by thousands of spectators lining Table Bay.

Telefónica made a race winning move after rounding the fourth mark, hoisting a large sail area to gain the lead, while CAMPER edged into second place as PUMA made a more conservative sail choice.

As the westerly wind continued to gust in excess of 25 knots Telefónica extended her lead over CAMPER from 29 seconds at the fifth mark to 32 seconds at the sixth mark. PUMA trailed the leader by 49 seconds.

Telefónica maintained their lead with a flawless race, with plenty of cheers when they crossed the line in front of more than 200 spectator boats.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Abu Dhabi and Team Sanya were all looking to score well today in a bid to avenge the points opportunity they relinquished after being knocked out of Leg 1 with damage.

The carnage of Leg 1 weighed heavily on the minds of all six skippers, as they attempted to curb their competitive instincts in preference of getting around the inshore course in one piece.

In-port races take place in all 10 Host Ports around the world, testing the crews’ skills at close-quarters maneuvers and tactics.

Around 20 per cent of all points are up for grabs in the in-port racing, which could prove vital when overall positions are decided. The races also provide a show for the millions of people who will watch the race worldwide.

The more than 5,000 mile Leg 2 race to Abu Dhabi will start on Sunday at 1500 local time, 1300 UTC/GMT. Early forecasts are tipping a south to southwest wind from nine to 14 knots for the start of racing.

Download:

- V&A Waterfront In-Port Race crew list

- V&A Waterfront In-Port Race course

- Sailing Instructions: V&A Waterfront In-Port Race Addendum

Preview

For three teams it will be an achievement simply making the start line of the V&A Waterfront In-Port Race in Cape Town on Saturday (1300 GMT/UTC) but don’t expect the competition to be anything less than full-blooded when all six boats get to race against each other for the first time in over a month.

Team Sanya, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG were all forced to retire from Leg 1 and have been working against the clock to get their boats ready for the weekend.

For the three teams that made the Leg 1 podium – winners Team Telefónica, second-placed CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Groupama sailing team in third -- it has scarcely been less frantic with a shorter than usual Cape Town stopover meaning all have had to graft to complete their work lists.

Given the lack of time to put anything right for Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi, which starts on Sunday, you could forgive all the teams for choosing a safety first approach for the in-port race but that would not sit well with the competitive nature of the six skippers.

“I’d love to say we’re smart enough to ease off but I’m not sure we are,” said Ken Read, skipper of PUMA’s Mar Mostro.

The leaderboard heading into Saturday has Telefónica with 31 points, CAMPER with 29 and Groupama with 22, followed by Abu Dhabi on 6, PUMA with 5 and Sanya 3. The winners of the in-port race will scoop 6 points, with 5 for second and so on down to 1 point for last place.

In total, the in-port racing delivers close to 20 per cent of the points and with the 2011-12 edition tipped to be the most competitive ever, the value of the shorter races – which are scheduled to last less than an hour and give the public a chance to see the boats in close-quarter competition – is not lost on anyone.

“I’ll try and win the race,” said Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker. “It’s even more important for us now because we’re behind on points, so one way we can claw back some of those points is to try and excel in the in-port race. We’re just going to work; we’re going to give it hell, yeah.”

The racecourse will be located outside of Cape Town’s port to the east of Table Bay if the wind is blowing from the south east, and will feature a downwind start followed by an L-shaped course. If the wind swings to the south west, the course will be moved to the west of the bay to escape the wind shadow created by Table Mountain.

The forecast is for around 15 knots of wind – perfect racing conditions for the Volvo Open 70s to provide a spectacle to the thousands of spectators expected to line the shores of the bay.

Abu Dhabi, Sanya and PUMA were all back out sailing on Thursday after sterling work from their shore crews to get ready. Abu Dhabi had to step the mast and tune the rig after coming in by container ship on November 30. Sanya arrived the same day and had to put their boat together again after building a huge replacement section of their hull. PUMA only got the boat back to their shore base in the early hours of Wednesday morning and have had to work round the clock to replace the mast and complete preparations.

The other teams have all checked their rigging carefully after the events of Leg 1 and are eager for battle to recommence.

“We are stronger now than when we left Alicante,” said Groupama skipper Franck Cammas. “We are in good shape in terms of boat preparation for the next leg and in good shape with our spirits.”

Telefónica won the first leg but could not have performed worse in the first in-port race so their mood is anything but complacent.

“The team is very happy but at the same time very realistic,” said skipper Iker Martínez. “Just because we won the first leg we’re not thinking that we’re better than the others. That can be a big mistake.”

Download:

- V&A Waterfront In-Port Race crew list

- V&A Waterfront In-Port Race course

- Sailing Instructions: V&A Waterfront In-Port Race Addendum