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For Iker Martínez and crew it's time for the 600 miles of racing through some of the busiest waters in the world in terms of shipping traffic, with the added risk of fishing nets thrown in

Iker Martínez and “Telefónica” have put the obligatory waypoint of Pulau We behind them. The boat is now navigating the difficult waters at the Strait of Malacca. “Telefónica” pushed past the coordinates 5º 53 N - 95º 19 in first place today, Friday 27^th January at 12:10 UTC. The Spanish team was therefore well into one of the most complicated stretches on the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 course, the Strait of Malacca.

Since taking the lead in yesterday's 19:00 position report, the Spanish team have been tied up in a battle of tacks with main rivals in pursuit, second and third placed entries: “Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand” and “Puma”. The three boats have stayed within close proximity of one another over the past hours and with this morning's 10:00 UTC position report just a mile and a half lay between them. Three hours later however, the official tracker data for the race put the bow to bow difference between the Spanish and New Zealand boats at three miles.

Seven intense hours

Iker Martínez and his guys were the first to tack away from the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). Later a shift in breeze to the right and the influence of currents meant getting closer to the coast, where they tend to be less potent. There was a tack to the bow of the kiwis and the crew remained focussed on following the correct heading to get past Pulau We without performing any unnecessary manoeuvres.

A mere glance at the tracking map for the race shows the constant tacks in the fleet, with “Telefónica” guarding the windward side and marking the fleet, especially Ken Read's “Puma” who moved in very fast, getting much closer to Pulau We than the NZ or Spanish boats.

Past the island of Pulau We “Telefónica”'s bow was pointing on an East-Northeasterly course and was sailing in a straight line and almost in parallel with “Puma”, whilst “Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand” continued almost exactly in the wake of the Spanish yacht. Published the 16.00 GMT position report, ESP-1’s heading is 26º (N-NE), exactly the same than “Puma” and the kiwi crew.

Another achievement for the Spanish crew

The crew of “Telefónica” have another major achievement to note down, this time well into the Indian Ocean: they have overcome one of the most difficult situations to crop up on a round the world race – breaking something during racing. They have gone from being 20 miles behind to getting through the entire Gulf of Bengala to the Strait of Malacca not just having repaired the boat, but having made up the miles, having caught up with the rest of the fleet and even overtaking the other boats before entering into the Malacca waters.

It's been over 1,000 miles since the crews left Malé (Maldives) and yet again, the excellent seamanship and approach to strategy of the “Telefónica” crew has been on display for all to see.

Watching out for what will happen in the Malacca Strait

One stretch of the leg has finished and another begins, with Navigator Andrew Cape describing it as 600 miles of sailing to the Singapore Strait with some light breeze. Obstacles to negotiate range from cargo ships to local fishing boats, to nets, shallow areas and even bandits, not to mention the instability of the breeze which is thrown into the mix.

There's no doubt that the very high levels of shipping traffic in the area is one of the main concerns on board. The team's MCM Diego Fructuoso pointed that out today: “Sailing at night with so much shipping traffic is incredible. It's going to get worse. We need to be careful to avoid unpleasant surprises and to avoid sacrificing too many miles if we find ourselves forced into varying our course.”

PROVISIONAL RANKINGS STAGE 2 - LEG 3

Day 6– 16.00 UTC – 27^th January 2012

1. Groupama Sailing Team (Franck Cammas), 1,686.7 miles from finish

2. Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson), +1.5 miles

3. Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez), +1.5 miles

4. Puma Ocean Racing (Ken Read), +6.9 miles

5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker), +9.2 miles

6. Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson), +26.6 miles