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Search and Rescue operation continues for Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag sailor

Race Control for the Volvo Ocean Race has been informed by Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag of a man overboard incident on Monday afternoon at approximately 13:42 UTC

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is continuing to lead efforts to recover Volvo Ocean Race sailor John Fisher (UK), who was reported overboard off Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag early on Monday afternoon UTC.

The Scallywag team, assisted by the MRCC, conducted an exhaustive search and rescue operation in an effort to recover Fisher, who was on watch and wearing appropriate survival gear when he went overboard. The remaining crew are reported safe.

The wind in the area at the time was a strong 35-knot westerly, with accompanying sea state. Water temperature was 9-degrees Celsius. There is still daylight, but weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate in the coming hours, and darkness will come at approximately 01:20 UTC.

The MRCC has already requested a ship, nearly 400 nautical miles away, divert to the scene. The MRCC continues in attempts to contact other ships that may be able to assist.

The weather in the area is forecast to deteriorate significantly in the coming hours. Given the severity of the forecast and with nightfall an hour away, we acknowledge the chances of a successful recovery are diminishing.

SHK/Scallywag has thus made the difficult decision to turn downwind and head towards the South American coast, the nearest safe landfall, approximately 1,200 nautical miles away.

We will have more information as it becomes available.

UPDATE 1855 UTC

Man overboard on Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag

Race Control for the Volvo Ocean Race has been informed by Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag of a man overboard incident on Monday afternoon at approximately 13:42 UTC.

The team, along with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), has been conducting a search and rescue operation to recover the missing crew member, John Fisher (UK), who was wearing survival equipment when he went overboard. The remaining crew are reported safe.

The incident took place approximately 1,400 miles west of Cape Horn. The wind in the search area is a strong 35-knot westerly, with accompanying sea state. Water temperature is 9-degrees Celsius. There is daylight, but weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate in the coming hours.

Given the gale force conditions it is not an option to divert any of the other six Volvo Ocean Race competitors, who are at least 200 miles further east and downwind of Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, to assist in the search operation.

The MRCC has identified a ship approximately 400 nautical miles away and it has been diverted to the scene.

Naturally we are deeply concerned, especially given the weather conditions, and Race Control in Alicante is supporting the Scallywag team and MRCC throughout the operation.

We will have more information as it becomes available. The Volvo Ocean Race is a 45,000 nautical mile race around the world. The teams are currently on Day 9 of Leg 7, a 7,600-mile race from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, Brazil.

Foto:  Volvo Ocean Race

On March 15th the presentation “Spring on Lošinj in the sign of cycling” was held in Makalonca caffe on the river Ljubljanica. The rich heritage of the Lošinj island was presented with an emphasis on the upcoming Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup Lošinj.

In the special atmosphere of the cafe Makalonca, on the river Ljubljanica, after the welcome speech of Metka Bradetić, the director of the Croatian Tourist Board in Slovenia and Urša Poznić Goršek, the director of Trbovlje municipality, the director of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board Dalibor Cvitković and the representative of MTB Trbovlje Sebastjan Zmrzljak (the main organizer of Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup Lošinj) presented the tourist offer of the Island of vitality and the upcoming world cycling competition. Valentina Muškardin from Lošinj Hotels & Villas and Barbara Božić, representative of the company “Lošinjska plovba in turizem” also joined the presentation.

Thanks to the excellent cooperation between Slovenian MTB Trbovlje, the town of Mali Lošinj and the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, the unique extreme cycling race Mountain Bike World Cup Lošinj will take place in Lošinj from April 19th to 22nd, 2018.

About three hundred competitors from all over the world will take part in extreme cycling race. This is the first example of a World Cup competition in the urban areas of Veli Lošinj with the finish line on the coast. Director of the organization of the Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup of Lošinj and member of the MTB Trbovlje – Sebastjan Zmrzljak showed his satisfaction with the cooperation of the Slovene MTB Trbovlje and the Croatian club AK Lošinj. He stated that the World Cup will surely be something special for Lošinj and for competitors, given the extremely technically demanding route. According to the information so far, a large number of Slovenian competitors is expected. The biggest websites that represent cycling are interested in announcing this event due to the uniqueness of the race and the very end of the track, which is for some controversial because it is located on the cape, which will happen for the first time in the World Cup. On these tracks have already trained the world champions Loic Bruni and Miranda Miller.

In addition to the interesting leisure offer, Lošinj has also a rich maritime heritage, which is presented throughout the year in museums and festivals. Lošinj was the only place on the eastern Adriatic where the sailing boats were specially designed for regattas and were also used for excursions and fishing. From these pasaras, a national class of L-5 sailing boats was created, which was designed by Anton Martinolić from Lošinj. On the basis of the old photographs that showed the regattas of pasara boats in the bay of Mali Lošinj and according to the original plans, two Lošinj racing pasara boats were created. Therefore, within the framework of the presentation, the famous Lošinj pasara sailed up the Ljubljanica and invited all the viewers to the Lošinj maritime world.

Visitors also had the opportunity to taste Lošinj delicacies in the performance of top chefs Melkior Bašić and Zlatko Belužić and the sommelier Kristijan Meraskamija. Band Čikat from Lošinj entertained guests with their special music performance.

The director of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, Dalibor Cvitković, emphasized the excellent cooperation of the Croatian Tourist Board in Slovenia and the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board. For many years Slovenian guests have been the loyal visitors to the island of Lošinj. They are especially important in the period before and after the season, when, thanks to the offer, they are the most numerous guests in Lošinj. The Slovenian share in overnight stays is 26%, while in the previous year the number of overnight stays and arrivals of Slovenian guests increased.

The presentation was prepared in cooperation with the town of Mali Lošinj, the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, the Croatian Tourist Board in Slovenia, the companies Lošinj Hotels & Villas, MTB Trbovlje and the Athletic Club Lošinj.

It was a spectacular start to Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Sunday afternoon, as the fleet left Auckland in perfect conditions. The sun was out, the wind was near 20 knots, and as they have for 10 stopovers, the Auckland fans took to the water by the thousands to farewell the fleet. It wasn’t a surprise – over the course of the Auckland stopover, over 500,000 fans came through the Race Village at the Viaduct Basin. On Sunday afternoon the Kiwi spectator armada consisted of foiling kite-boards, windsurfers, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, sailing dinghies, as well as hundreds of power and sail boats, along with the former Whitbread Round the World Race winner, Steinlager 2.

It was MAPFRE, the overall race leader, who made the best start to lead the fleet around a loop of the Waitematā Harbour and out into the Hauraki Gulf, with Dongfeng, Team Brunel and Turn the Tide on Plastic in close and giving chase. In a return to the heritage of the event, Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race will take the teams on a 7,600 nautical mile journey into the Southern Ocean, and around the iconic Cape Horn, before returning to the Atlantic Ocean towards the finish in Itajaí, Brazil.

"100% of the sailors that have done this leg have at one moment said it is too hard or too tough," said Charles Caudrelier, the skipper of Dongfeng Race Team. "But when you pass Cape Horn you have a huge feeling of pride that you have faced your fears." “We’re going into one of the more gruelling legs of the race,” added Brunel’s Peter Burling, a hero in New Zealand for bringing the America’s Cup home last summer. “The biggest challenge is the endurance aspect, having to keep the intensity high through some very difficult conditions… It’s going to be pretty tough for any of us Kiwis to leave here, but we’re all pretty excited to get into it.”

The initial Ice Exclusion Zone will allow the teams to sail as far south as 59-degrees south latitude, well into the ‘Furious Fifties’, where wind and waves circle the planet unimpeded by land, allowing them to build to fearsome levels. It will be very cold that far south, and the routing will take the fleet to the most remote part of the world, Point Nemo, where the international space station is closer than any point of land. There is a balance to be struck on this leg, between pushing the crew and equipment hard in the quest for victory, and ensuring the team is able to finish the leg at all.

“This is a part of the world where sometimes you have to forget about the race and just take care of the people and the boat,” noted Caudrelier. “It's a special place, sailing in the South - the sea is bigger, the wind is stronger, so you need to be mindful.”

The teams are getting straight into it – after leaving the final turning mark, the forecast is for an upwind slog into a 30-knot easterly as they aim to clear the Coromandel Peninsula and then the East Cape of New Zealand, before turning south in search of the low pressure systems that will power them towards Cape Horn, some 11 days away.

“It’s going to be upwind and bumpy until East Cape,” said Vestas 11th Hour Racing navigator Simon Fisher. His team is returning to the race after retiring from Leg 4 and missing the leg into Auckland while repairing damage to their hull.

Current situation: 18.3.2018 ob 11:00

As Internautica 2018 draws closer, we’re proud to reveal some exciting news, product exclusives, and partners you can expect over the four-day event, from 17th to 20th May. 

Internautica remains an industry trendsetter in the Adriatic region. From yachts to inflatables, catamarans and sailing boats to power boats, electronics and nautical equipment to fashion, expect to see all your favourite brands, including Absolute, Adler, Azimut, Bayliner, Cranchi, Dreamline, Elan, Ferretti, Fountaine Pajot, Greenline, Hanse, Jeanneau, Marex, Monterey, Nomadream, Pershing, Quicksilver, Riva, Sessa, Sea Ray, Solaris, Windy and many others.

First, we’ve had an overwhelming response from businesses wanting to participate. So to give our valued exhibitors and guests the best experience possible, we’re extending the exhibition space for the first time ever.

We’re going to connect the floating docks with the “marina island”. As well as hosting the beach volleyball court and beach bar, you’ll also have access to caravans and caravanning goods. We’ll also move the Stand-Up Paddling Championship starting position to the “marina island”, so everyone can enjoy a clear view of the race.

Our extended exhibition area means more exhibitors and more nautical novelties to explore than ever before. Whether it’s buying your next boat or kitting out your caravan, you’ll find everything you need without ever leaving the marina. Internautica 2018 will present over 200 new sport boats, cruisers, multihulls, power and sailing yachts, from inflatables up to 40m.

The revered Adriatic Boat of the Year award will once again recognise the best of last season’s craftsmanship at the Exhibitor’s Gala. In partnership with Navtika Plus (Slovenija), More Magazine (Croatia), Yachts Croatia (Croatia), Nauticki Magazine (Serbia), Nautika Magazine (Serbia) and Barche Magazine (Italy), our expert judging panel will preside over the top boats that made their maiden voyage last year. With so many excellent craft to choose from, it always draws a large crowd.

Second, we’ve partnered with Lexus to give you exclusive access to the Lexus RX Hybrid – a car that combines an electric motor with a conventional engine for eco-friendly efficiency, effortless driving, and uncompromising performance. The decarbonisation of transport is crucial to protect our planet’s oceans for future sailors, so come and see why the RX Hybrid is the smarter alternative to diesel.

Third, in keeping with our sustainability goals, S-Bikes return as the official bicycle of Internautica. This Slovenian brand is responding to today’s mobility needs while minimising their environmental impact. By combining the advantages of a folding bicycle with an electric one, the S-Bike takes up little space, and with a range of up to 67 km on a single charge, you can travel further without pedalling. Perfect for cycling to and from your moorings.

Finally, we’re delighted to present Tilli Antonelli, one of the world’s leading yacht creators, at our Green Avenue project. Mr Antonelli developed famous yacht brands Pershing and Wider, and now leads Sanlorenzo’s new E Motion division. The new models use a hybrid engine (some are fully-electric) for greater efficiency, comfort, and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Our exclusive financial partner this year is Vzajemci Skupina. They’re the leading financial advisory group in the Slovenian market, which can boast of a team of 30 financial experts, and with the customer care and satisfaction of more than 20,000 active clients to whom in the 17 years of operation they have offered a comprehensive financial service ranging from the mutual funds of domestic and foreign managers to a broad a range of insurances, banking products and opinions on alternative investments. Their competitive advantage is in its own investment committee, consisting of 5 financially supported individuals who analyse investments on a daily basis and look for opportunities for investors.

Please keep an eye out for more exciting news in the coming weeks. Internautica 2018 is set to be the biggest and best yet.

Internautica 2018 is organized by Studio 37 d.o.o. in cooperation with Marina Portorož d.d.

Dongfeng Race Team earned a spectacular come from behind win on Saturday afternoon in New Zealand

Dongfeng Race Team showed great concentration and resilience in winning the New Zealand Herald In Port Race in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday.

Conditions were extremely light, shifty and patchy on the Waitematā Harbour, making for plenty of lead changes over the course of the one hour race.

Team AkzoNobel finished in second place, while early leaders MAPFRE completed the podium to retain the overall lead in the In Port Race Series.

"It was very tricky, very difficult," said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier following the race. "We had a terrible start but there was so much happening during the first leg that it wasn't always good to be in the lead as you just showed the others where the light spots were. We were able to pick up on that and sail around the leaders. "We worked hard on our speed, and managed to come back slowly.”

The race started in spectacular fashion, considering how light the wind was. MAPFRE positioned well to leeward of the fleet, was first across the line, with David Witt’s Scallywag barging through with speed ahead of a big group clustered near the pin end.

But in fact, it was Team Brunel who were causing the pile-up at the pin, forcing three boats outside of the start line, with Dongfeng, Turn the Tide on Plastic and team AkzoNobel all required to re-start well behind the leaders.

That left MAPFRE and Scallywag as the early leaders, charging up what appeared to be a one-tack leg.

But as they approached the top third of the leg, the wind died, and the trailing boats were able to sail around the leading pair on both sides, with AkzoNobel and Vestas 11th Hour Racing squeezing through just ahead of Dongfeng Race Team and Brunel Sailing.

On the nominally downwind second leg, AkzoNobel and Dongfeng found a vein of pressure to grab the lead, and on a shortened two-lap course, it was Dongfeng who were able to ease ahead and hold on for the win.

 "New Zealand Herald" In-Port Race

Vestas 11th Hour Racing is back in the water, with a test sail anticipated later this week. The boat had been shipped to New Zealand for repairs following a collision just before the finish of Leg 4, off Hong Kong.

"It's been an amazing effort by all involved to get the boat back in the water," said skipper Charlie Enright. "The coordination between our shore team, The Boatyard, all the suppliers, the stakeholders... A month ago we said we'd be back on the water on this day, and we've stuck to the schedule. It's amazing.

"We still have to haul it out, put it on its keel, put the rig in, put it through its paces... and we'll be sailing starting on the 7th, which gives us plenty of time ahead of the in-port race and for the Leg start on the 18th. So we're in good shape."

The polar easterlies (also Polar Hadley cells) are the dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the high-pressure areas of the polar highs at the North and South Poles towards low-pressure areas within the Westerlies at high latitudes.

Cold air subsides at the poles creating the high pressure, forcing an equatorward outflow of air; that outflow is then deflected westward by the Coriolis effect. Unlike the westerlies in the middle latitudes, the polar easterlies are often weak and irregular. These prevailing winds blow from the polar easterlies are one of the five primary wind zones, known as wind belts, that make up our atmosphere's circulatory system. This particular belt of wind begins at approximately 60 degrees north and south latitude and reaches to the poles. When air moves near the poles, cold temperatures shrink the air. This promotes air from warmer latitudes to flow into the area, causing a polar high-pressure zone. Air from this high-pressure zone then rushes toward the low-pressure zone surrounding the sub-polar region. The flow of air is altered by the Earth's rotation and deflected west, hence the name, between high- and low-pressure zones. Temperature and air pressure differentials and the earth's rotation combine to form global currents.

Another example of the phenomenon would be the trade winds, which reach from where the doldrums (areas that receive the largest levels of thermal radiation from the sun) leave off at about 5 degrees north and south latitude to as far as 30 degrees north and south. They are caused by air moving into the area from the subtropics to fill the void left by the doldrums' rising air. The trade winds blow steadily westward out of the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and out of the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere. Sailors in earlier times, traveling by wind current and sail only, counted upon the reliability of the trade winds to help them along on their voyages. Similarly, they sought to avoid the doldrums, where the wind was so scant they risked coming to a complete stop.

References: wikipedia.org

Restaurants Pelegrini (Šibenik) and 360º (Dubrovnik) received one MICHELIN star, restaurant Monte (Rovinj) managed to keep the star from the last year.

The restaurants Pelegrini (Šibenik) and 360° (Dubrovnik) each received one Michelin star, while the list of restaurants recommended by Michelin (a spoon and a fork symbol) is enriched with 24 new restaurants. This result was brought by mysterious visits to Croatian restaurants by professional Michelin inspectors who in 2017 visited restaurants throughout the country. The new guide for Croatia is published on the Michelin website, the world's most important and most recognized restaurant guide.

"Croatia is located on the culinary map of the world. The new Michelin stars and recommendations awarded to Croatian restaurants are a testament to the culinary scene that they meet very demanding international quality criteria. Michelin is a global synonym for excellence in gastronomy. Michelin symbol gives great promotional potential to the places where the selected restaurants are located. The Croatian Tourist Board will continue to carry out numerous activities to present Croatia as an attractive tourist destination with a rich culinary offer", said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić.

Following this year's selection, Croatia has three restaurants with Michelin stars and 55 restaurants with Michelin recommendation. This year, for the first time, the Michelin Bib Gourmand symbol was awarded to four restaurants: Konoba Mate (Korčula), Danube (Ilok), Vuglec Breg (Krapina) and Konoba Fetiva (Split). This is a symbol given to restaurants that offer quality menus at affordable prices. Also, with this selection, besides Istria, Dubrovnik and Zagreb, which were included last year, numerous other destinations such as Šibenik, Split, Ilok, Korčula, Krapina, Lovran, Osijek, Varaždin, Velika Gorica, Zadar and others have found their place on the Michelin map.

The list of new restaurants in the Michelin selection is a strong incentive for further refinement of the culinary scene, as well as a great worldwide promotion of Croatia as a top gourmet destination. Let's remember that the first Croatian restaurant which joined the company of elite restaurants with the Michelin star, was the restaurant Monte in Rovinj, which in 2017 received one Michelin star also kept it in 2018.

Nico Poons’ Charisma proved today that there is a new player in town, as they clung on to yesterday’s lead to win the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup, the opening event of the 2018 RC44 championship. But it all came down to the last run of today’s last race when a last curved ball cut the Monaco-based team’s overall lead to just one point from arch-rival, Team Nika.

“You see in the last race how things can suddenly change - going in the last downwind leg we were winning comfortably by five points and then we only won by one point,” noted an otherwise elated Poons. “It proves you have to concentrate right to the very end. It is great sailing in this class – it is high performance, a high quality fleet with a level playing field and great value compared to other sailing projects of this kind.”

With no awkward frontal systems to complicate matters today, Lanzarote reverted to her usual summery self for the final day of competition. The 15-16 knots winds remained reliably in the southwest, which with flat water and a scorching sun that made it seem like June in the Mediterranean. Until the final run…

Charisma tactician Ray Davies explained: “It was all on - there was a big wind shift and we were on the outside of that and the wind increased to 23 knots with a pressed-up angle coming in. The boats were all surfing into the finish line. Any boat that gybed early made a huge gain but a couple of us couldn’t quite lay it. But we did enough, despite finishing with a jib.”

Of Charisma’s performance overall Davies added: “We started really well today which was a big improvement on the beginning of the regatta. We are happy with how the boat is going and the crew work. There are things we can work on for the next event, but we are very happy for Nico to come away with a win. It is just his second in four years. It was nice being up against the likes of Dean [Barker] and Vasco [Vascotto]. All the tacticians in this fleet are of the highest level, so there is always some pride on the line.”

Inevitably the team that did best out of the giant shift was Team CEEREF. Having nailed Saturday’s first race on the right of the run, so Igor Lah’s team nearly performed a similar stunt on the opposite side of course.

Tactician with the uncanny nose for these shifts is Team CEEREF’s Adrian Stead, who explained:  “It had gone a little bit right just on the way into the top mark and then when we looked up we could see it all along the shore. So it was opportunist but we weren’t too far off taking it all the way to the finish.” From being a deep fifth at the last top mark rounding, the Slovenian RC44 managed to pull out a third. 

Team CEEREF also won the opening race, having led it from start to finish. “This is our best first regatta of a year for ages, so it is great,” said Igor Lah. “It was a lot of fun, especially that last leg - we had nothing to lose so we went to the left immediately after the mark and there was a big wind shift and great breeze.”

After posting a couple of deep results, Vladimir Prosikhin's Team Nika was back on song for race 2. Early on the first beat they and John Bassadone’s Peninsula Petroleum opted for the right where they struck gold. The two boats were respectively first and second at the top mark, positions they maintained until the finish.

However it was the final race and challenging Charisma that was on Prosikhin’s mind: “We had some problems at the start - somehow we lost speed, which was a major problem. After that we were between CEEREF on one side and Charisma on the other – our two main competitors. If we tried to escape right and Charisma tacked on us and if we tried to escape left then CEEREF tacked on us! We were like a pinball – blam, blam, blam. Like Rocky! Finally we escaped and were still ahead, but unfortunately Charisma finished right after us, which was not enough.”

Prosikhin also enjoyed the final downwind dash with CEEREF. “The wind came from behind and they gained a lot on us and then we picked it up too. Then we were surviving - trying to push the boat as hard as we could, in danger of broaching all the time – very enjoyable! We had good technique, we survived and we finished ahead of them and protected second place. The RC44 is great pleasure to sail and it is such a nice fleet. Today I had one of the best days in my racing career.”

Today’s outcome would also have been different for Team Nika due to a top mark incident in today’s first race. “We had a bow to bow with Team CEEREF and had to gybe around – which was expensive,” explained tactician Dean Barker.

While all eyes were on the outcome of the last race in terms of the overall event points, it was also notable Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing rounding the top mark in first. However on the run Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing had overhauled the French team and hung on lead for the remainder of the race, despite the monster final shift.

Competition now returns to Portoroz, Slovenia, birthplace of the RC44 for the second event of the 2018 championship over 9-13 May.

Video RC44 CALERO MARINAS CUP 2018

Team AkzoNobel has won Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, racing 6,344 miles from Hong Kong to Auckland in 20 days, 9 hours and 17 minutes and 26 seconds.

It was a tremendous win, and came after an epic final 24 hours, when a ridge of high pressure off the north east coast of New Zealand stalled the progress of the leading boats, allowing those behind to close what had appeared to be an insurmountable gap. For team AkzoNobel and SHK/Scallywag, the buffer they’d built up over the past week was only just sufficient, and they were able to match race down the coast all the way to the finish line in the Waitematā Harbour, usually sailing within hailing distance of each other.

In the end, the margin at the finish was just two minutes between first and second place.

“It’s been a 6,500 mile match race, it’s unreal,” said Tienpont. “I’ve never sailed a race like this in my life. We’ve always been in each other’s sights. They were always there. It’s been neck and neck. Huge respect to Scallywag, they never stopped fighting and we never stopped defending. I’m so proud of our crew. They never flinched.”

It’s the first leg win for team AkzoNobel and earns the team an important 8 points on the leaderboard, after fighting all the way to the finish with Scallywag.

“Our team never gives up,” said Scallywag skipper David Witt. “We just didn’t pull it off this time. We had our chances, but AkzoNobel were just a little bit too good this time. But we’ve come a long way since leg one.”

The second place finish in Leg 6, combined with a leg win into their home port of Hong Kong, has elevated SHK/Scallywag up to third place on the overall leaderboard.

While the weather pattern of the last 24 hours has made for a heart-stopping finish for race fans, it also led to a heart-breaking result for Dee Caffari’s Turn the Tide on Plastic.

Just 24 hours ago, Caffari and her team appeared poised to claim their first podium of the race, even while challenging for the leg win. MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team, first and

It would have made for a well-earned and popular result for an underdog team. But as the leading trio bumped up against an unavoidable patch of calm winds, MAPFRE and Dongfeng roared in, closing the gap down minute by minute.

As darkness fell on Tuesday night and the wind picked up for the final 60-mile sprint to the finish, the two powerhouse red boats were within striking distance of Caffari and her team, just 2 miles back. And over the next 90 minutes, they were able to grind their way past, pushing Turn the Tide on Plastic back into fifth place with 20 miles to run.

While Caffari and her crew showed incredible fighting spirit, clawing ahead of Dongfeng Race Team once again as the boats raced through the Hauraki Gulf on the final approach, they couldn’t hold on, and would need to settle for fifth place, behind both MAPFRE in third and Dongfeng in fourth.

“It’s been a crazy 20 or 21 days, match racing all the way here,” said MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernández. “We’ve been fighting with Dongfeng like crazy. We never stopped, we fought so hard, and now we feel very happy of course. We were hoping for opportiunites in the doldrums and they never came, but finally they came today, and we did it.”

“We’re sorry for Turn the Tide on Plastic,” said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier. “They did a fantastic race and I think they deserved a third place finish, but that’s sailing, they’ve been unlucky today and we managed to come back… It was a good surprise.”

Overlooking the immediate disappointment of the day, this marks the best result of the race to date for Turn the Tide on Plastic and is a sign of progress for a young and improving team.

“We’re gutted, I don’t even know what to say,” said an obviously disappointed Caffari dockside. “We had a good race, and we thought we were going to have a better result. But those pesky red boats always seem to get it their way.”

Team Brunel remains on the race course, speeding towards the finish approximately 90 minutes behind their fellow competitors after falling victim to a bold tactical choice over the weekend that backfired and put them behind the rest of the fleet.

Vestas 11th Hour Race did not sail in Leg 6 after being shipped to Auckland for repairs. The team has lost ground on the leaderboard, with both Scallywag and AkzoNobel overhauling them to hold down third and fourth place, with Vestas 11th Hour Racing sliding to fifth. The team is expected to release an update over the coming days.