Three Burning Questions After Leg 3

© Hamish Hooper/CAMPER ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race

Rob Salthouse and Chris Nicholson grind hard putting a reef in the mainsail as Stu Bannatyne drives onboard CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand during Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

2. Can anyone topple Telefonica?
The pre-race hype predicted this to be the closest Volvo Ocean Race yet. While it is true that the fleet as a whole is quite close, Telefonica has won every offshore leg and has come from behind in the last two legs to clench victory. Navigator Andrew Cape has yet to make a mistake, and the sailing team always seems to find that extra bit of speed or point when needed most. This was so clearly demonstrated in Leg 3, when Telefonica lost its Code 0 early on. From a last-place position, the team was able to sail in a high, fast mode and go from being the most southern boat to the most northern boat, while catching the pack. Telefonica was then the first team to tack to the new breeze before the Malacca Straits, and they never looked back. The Race Tracker has a feature that lets you rewind and replay legs. Watch the first 1000 miles of Leg 3 to see exactly how Telefonica made their move. It’s a real clinic.

In the long offshore legs, the only boats that have a realistic shot to beat Telefonica are Groupama and Puma, but I think it’s highly likely that Telefonica will win every offshore leg until the fleet gets to Europe. Once in Europe, the legs become short enough that one of the other boats can have a good day and end the Spanish domination. On the long legs, though, Iker Martinez’s team has proven to be able to claw back every time.

3. Can Team Sanya even finish the race?
Moose Sanderson had realistic expectations when he entered the only secondhand boat as the final entrant to this race. “Our decision to go for Telefónica Blue in the end was based around the fact that we believe the boat gives us the best chance to be on the podium as often as possible,” he said.

Now, after three consecutive legs with major failures, the team just needs to find a way to get around the course. The latest setback came just 48 hours before the Leg 3 finish, when the port-side winch pod broke. Listen to the sound of carbon splintering when the winch pod breaks.

Once again, the Sanya shore team will be the heroes of the day. "After the work we just did on the bow in Cape Town, this is tiny in comparison,” says shore crew manager David Duff.

Once the team completes repairs, Sanderson hopes they can start working to improve the boat. “Finally we can get the whole thing on track," he said. “In all the pre-race planning, you do you talk about strategy for stopovers, what you’re going to do with the time, and how you deal with it all. Now we actually get to use that planning, we really get to play our game. We’re here with a strategy and an idea how to get better, so now the wheels can be set in motion.”

We’ll give Team Sanya the benefit of the doubt here. Up until now, it has been a full-on effort just to make it to the starting line of each leg. The leg to Auckland will be the big test. If the boat can’t hold up on Leg 4, how many crewmembers will be willing to take her around Cape Horn?

With one third of this Volvo in the books, the cream is starting to rise to the top. While Telefonica is poised to maintain the tradition of the boat winning the first leg winning the whole race, Iker Martinez and company can’t afford to be complacent. For the chasing pack, second place is still up for grabs, and redemption may be around the corner for some. Leg 4 begins on February 19, and plenty of action still awaits!