Leg 7 , Auckland to Itajai, Brazil, has started and to no surprise Mapfre made a very sharp Start.
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| Mapfre starts very sharp Leg 7 |
Saillng conditions in Auckland were perfect, winds speeds upto 20kts, made a fierce battle between most boats possible. Mapfre, though, was most of the time in the lead, shortly followed by Dongfeng, and occasionally by Brunel and Turn the Tide on Plastics.
The winds brought high boat speeds and with the tacks, some close passages occured but all without protests and accidents.
It was ultimatel Mapfre that left the starting parcour in the Lead, followed by Dongfeng and Brunel just ahead of Turn the Tide on Plastics. So the 2 main contenders for the Victory already in the lead and no doubt they will battle it out the whole route to Itajai.
This Leg 7 is important as it offers double points, on top of that an extra point for the first Boat passing Cape Horn and an extra point for the Winner.
The Ice exclusion zone is far south, such the Boats can try to get a ride on the normal Westerly lows through the roaring fifties, the region around the latitude 50 degree.
