China boat edged into 2nd again
Print Edition
CHINESE boat Dongfeng Race Team was pipped to victory for the second time running as Team Brunel snatched the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race yesterday.
Dongfeng lost out to Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the first leg from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town by 12 minutes after nearly a month’s racing. This time it was denied in the leg from South Africa to the UAE by 16 minutes by the Dutch team led by 51-year-old Bouwe Bekking, who is competing in a record-equalling seventh race.
The key moment came five hours from the finish, when Bekking’s crew passed Dongfeng with a masterly maneuver, although the boats were in similar winds, sailing just a few hundred meters apart.
Dongfeng’s French skipper Charles Caudrelier could not conceal his disappointment in a pre-finish call to www.volvooceanrace.com. “Brunel have been much faster than us since a few days and we don’t know why. We’re a bit disappointed because we did a good job to pass them, but they keep passing us. You have to do well, but you also have to be fast. If you’re not fast, it’s difficult to win a leg.”
Bekking, in contrast, could not wipe the smile off his face as he cruised from the finish line to the dock. His team is locked with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Dongfeng on four points after two stages but is ranked top because of winning the most recent leg.
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