Break at juncture has Brunel in front of Azzam in Volvo Ocean Race – for now

Off the eastern coast of Brazil, the Volvo Ocean Race boats are tacking southeastward toward Cape Town, South Africa. The shift from the comforting reliablity of coastal winds back to the middle of the Atlantic has left the teams with a key choice as they come upon the final days of the first leg from Alicante.

So far, Danish Team Brunel has hit the mark hardest – but there’s a lot of sea left to cover. And Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are pulling back fast.

By the midday position reports on Tuesday at 12.40pm UTC (4.40pm UAE) Brunel had a 40 nautical mile edge on Azzam, but overnight it had been nearly 60 miles.

Those two boats still appear to be the ones that will jockey to arrive first in Cape Town, with third placed Team Alvimedica and Dongfeng Race Team roughly 90 and 100 miles off the lead pace, respectively.

This second crossing of the Atlantic, after they earlier travelled from Spain to the Brazilian coast, provides another crucial juncture along the Volvo Ocean Race’s opening leg.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing onboard reporter Matt Knighton explained on his blog:

"Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing continued to punch further south along the western edge of the St. Helena High Pressure, guiding Azzam as a three-way battle for the lead developed with Team Vestas Wind and Team Brunel sailing on either side. Separated by about 150 miles, each boat has placed a bet on which "lane" south will have the strongest breeze.

Nevertheless, all three routes are different variations on the same theme: heading south to catch the westerly winds at 40 degrees south, or the ‘Roaring Forties’.”

And though Brunel reaped the early rewards from their decision to break southward further east than Azzam, by Tuesday the winds had appeared to change. The latest position report had ADOR travelling 15 knots to Brunel's 12 and Alvimedica's 13.

In the next few days, the race should add plenty of intrigue. Wrote Knighton of those “Roaring Forties”:

“Home to freezing temperatures, very strong winds, and huge waves that travel uninterrupted around the planet, the last week of Leg 1 will play out in possibly epic conditions.”

Break at juncture has Brunel in front of Azzam in Volvo Ocean Race – for now

Sailing eastward back across the Atlantic toward Cape Town, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Team Brunel have each adopted a different 'lane' in their push south.