Spanish claim Volvo duel in the sun

Spanish boat MAPFRE clinched the Volvo Ocean Race in-port race in Lisbon on Saturday with just two metres to spare after an enthralling showdown under the Lisbon sun.

The Spaniards, guided by 2004 Olympic gold medallist Iker Martinez, edged past Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing to claim victory by a second after an hour's sailing on the 5.8-nautical mile (nm) in-shore course.

The two boats had turned for the finish line at exactly the same moment to leave a 400-metre 'sprint', which MAPFRE just shaded thanks to a little more wind pressure in their sails on a day of light breezes.

Abu Dhabi's British skipper Ian Walker will not be disappointed for long.

The runners-up place has further tightened his stranglehold on the overall in-port race standings and they now lie four points clear of their nearest rivals with two races of the 10-part series to contest in Lorient (France) and Gothenburg (Sweden).

The in-port race series is a competition in its own right, but also counts as a tie-breaker for the Volvo Ocean Race's main offshore trophy.

For long periods of Saturday's five-leg event, MAPFRE had looked in complete control before the Emirati boat whittled down their lead before the grandstand finish.

Behind them, the race finished in more drama as the returning Danish boat, Team Vestas Wind, snagged on the finish mark and the crew was ordered by race officials to complete a penalty turn before re-crossing the line.

That allowed three boats – Team SCA (Sweden), Team Brunel (Netherlands) and Dongfeng Race Team (China) – to pass them with the Turkish/American challengers, Team Alvimedica, having already claimed the final podium place in third.
MAPFRE's win gave them the perfect end to a tough week after they were penalised a penalty point in the offshore standings on Wednesday by an independent jury.

They sailed into a 'no-go zone' of heavy shipping traffic in the Atlantic on Leg 7 between Rhode Island, U.S. and Lisbon.

Two other boats, Team SCA and Dongfeng Race Team, were similarly penalised.

"It's been a difficult week," skipper Martinez told reporters. "But when we are on the water the pressure feels like it is off us and all is well."

The fleet, newly restored to seven boats after the return of Team Vestas Wind following a rebuild, will set sail for the penultimate eighth leg on Sunday (1300 GMT) for Lorient, France.

The Vestas Wind was badly damaged after crashing into an Indian Ocean reef on the second leg in November and only returned to competitive racing this week.

Abu Dhabi go into the leg protecting a six-point lead over Team Brunel and Dongfeng Race Team and could claim offshore sailing's most prestigious title if results work in their favour on leg eight, with a victory and their rivals finishing fourth or worse.

The 647nm stage is expected to last four days with the fleet arriving in Lorient early on Thursday.

The nine-month, 38,739nm marathon event, will finish in Gothenburg on June 27 with the in-port race there.
Source: AFP