(December 19, 2017; Leg 3, Day 10) – A little over 2,000 miles now stand between the Volvo Ocean Race pace setters and the Leg 3 finish line in Melbourne with Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE, continuing to take turns in the lead.

The game has been to hug the Antarctic Ice Exclusion Zone (AIEZ) to remain in the stronger winds to the south, which has seen the past few days of having to perform gybe after gybe, often with no more than an hour between manoeuvres.

And while the battle between the teams continues in anger, all seven teams were racing the weather gods to stay ahead of a giant anticyclone forming to their east, threatening to swallow them up.

Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag and Turn the Tide on Plastic, some 200 miles west-north-west of the leaders, are expected to follow in the footsteps of team Akzonobel by zigzagging south in a desperate attempt to hook onto the western edge of a cold front.

If they fail they could face more days at sea than expected – and greater pressure to perform a quick turnaround in Melbourne before the start of the next leg on January 2 to Hong Kong.

Leg 3 – Position Report (21:36 UTC)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 1990.0 nm DTF
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 2.1 nm DTL
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 94.8 nm DTL
4. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 120.8 nm DTL
5. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 219.8 nm DTL
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 292.1 nm DTL
7. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 364.25 nm DTL
DTF – Distance to Finish; DTL – Distance to Leader

Overall Results (after 2 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 14 points
2. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 13
3. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 11
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 7
5. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 6
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 5
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 2

The third leg started December 10 for the course from Cape Town, South Africa to Melbourne, Australia. The ETA is between the December 24 and 26.

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.

Source: Volvo Ocean Race

Source: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/12/19/volvo-ocean-race-new-adversary/