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Puma Ocean Racing lead the six-strong fleet as they jostle for position at the resumption of leg three.

The fleet has been led for the majority of the dash to the Chinese port of Sanya by the Puma crew but in the last day or so there have been significant gains made by Chris Nicholson’s Camper team, who chose to tack and skirt slightly north seeking an early advantage.

Above: Tough
conditions met the Camper crew after their tactical decision saw them head
north in a bid to edge past Puma.

Above:This has
dramatically reduced the gap between the top two boats as the fleet head
towards the Malacca Strait. 

Meanwhile, an intriguing
drag race has emerged between Groupama, Abu Dhabi and Sanya lower down the
current pecking order, but all three boats remain within viewing distance of
the leaders.

However, the start of the
second stage hasn’t gone to plan so far for the Telefonica crew who suffered
damage to one of their sails mere hours after the race began.

The initial impact saw them
lose ground on the rest of the fleet but, despite this, Iker Martinez and his
team have continued to remain positive and once the damage was fixed, they
mirrored the tactical decision of the Camper crew and have subsequently made
significant gains on both Camper and Ken Read’s Puma.

Above:
















The
overall race leaders Team Telefonica endured a tough opening 24 hours, but have
gained momentum, owing to some well-thought tactics to get them back in
contention.

Above:















Unlike
their Spanish counterparts, Groupama have been sailing without any real issues
and continue to press on towards the Strait of Malacca and the ominous shipping
lane that awaits.

The fleet are now headed
for one of the most arduous areas of the third leg; The Strait of Malacca,
which will see the six participants enter the main shipping channel between the
Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

If the current pattern
continues, we could be in for a dramatic third leg with all six teams having a
realistic chance at claiming the victory along with the vital competition points
at stake.

Team Telefonica currently
lead Camper by just seven points, with Sanya struggling at the bottom of the
leader board but they will hope all of that changes when they reach their home
town port in around two weeks time.

Read further information and articles on the Volvo Ocean Race here.