News    All legsAROUND SPAINLeg 0Leg 1Leg 2Leg 3Leg 4Leg 5Leg 6Leg 7Leg 8Leg 9Leg Galway    Show 102050

Over the past 24 hours the Spanish boat has moved 83.2 miles closer to the fleet leaders

On course North, and “Telefónica” is pushing forward with Itajaí (Brazil) in her sights, the finishing line of this fifth leg in the Volvo Ocean Race. Following a pit stop at Caleta Martial, a cove on Herschel Island (Chile), the Spanish team, headed up by Iker Martínez is climbing the Atlantic at a good pace and is clawing back miles on the leaders “Puma” and “Groupama”, currently wrapped up in something of an ocean-going match race.

The 13:00 UTC position report confirmed that in the past 24 hours, the Spanish boat has covered 440 miles and is now 250 miles from the front of the fleet. There are still over 1,284 miles ahead, with the lulls sure to play a key role on the route, possibly serving up a surprise or two in the fleet. The crew on “Telefónica” are firm in their mission to make the most of any opportunity presenting itself, as the team's MCM made clear in his daily report from the boat today: “The boats in front got away from us a bit, but we mustn't lose faith, as anything can happen. We're going to keep sailing at full speed and we won't stop trying.”

There's no doubt that “Telefónica” is making spectacular ground. Over the most recent day of racing, the sixteenth so far of the leg, the Spanish boat climbed 83.2 miles closer to the top, and a glance back reveals that from the moment the Spanish team resumed the leg, Iker Martínez and co have closed in an impressive 165 miles on the leading duo.

With the breeze of 14 knots from the W-SW, “Telefónica” is sailing closer to the Argentine coast than her direct rivals and has been notching up average boat speeds of 15.5 knots. From on board, at the height of Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina), Iker Martínez confirmed: “Everything's going well. The boat is sailing well. It's banging a fair bit as we're going very fast and there is some short swell, but nothing much, it's doing perfectly. It really sounds and feels solid, which is a good sign, and we hope it'll stay like that to Itajaí, where we'll carry out some more permanent repairs to really get her as good as new.”

PROVISIONAL RANKINGS LEG 5

AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND) – ITAJAÍ (BRAZIL): 6,705 miles

Day 16 – 13:00 UTC – 2^nd April 2012

1. Puma Ocean Racing (Ken Read), 1,033.3 miles from finish

2. Groupama sailing team (Franck Cammas), +6.5 miles

3. Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez), +250.7 miles

4. Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson), +1,701.8 miles

5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker), +1,828 miles

6. Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson), DNF