Five-boat match race

The leading five boats in the Volvo Ocean Race are in sight of one another.

Life's not so bad aboard Assa Abloy

Yesterday the leading five boats were unbelievably close together. Today they are closer.

"All four boats now in sight with djuice just over the horizon," reports Ross Field from aboard News Corp. "SEB came within 0.6 of a mile of or transom this morning and moved off the leeward. She is now three miles behind. Assa Abloy and illbruck are right on our bow and we can see that they are light and we are making ground on them."

Field goes on to report that the crew are in good shape, all the sails are intact and that the boat and crew are 100 percent ready for the battle to the finish.

While illbruck leads once again, the last boat of the group, djuice is just eight miles behind. With the wind from behind and the boats so close together the gains and losses can be seen minute by minute and hour by hour and not just at the six hourly schedules. This is boat on boat racing and the tactics and strategy would be easy for any experience keel boat sailor. Gains an losses come with each gybe and change in pressure. Don't expect this fleet within a fleet to split up anytime soon. They are having too much fun. To paraphrase bob Dylan, "places they are a changing".


It's now warm enough for Bart to come on deck again

Page two.... small gains and losses
Page three... an e-mail from Mark Rudiger
Page four.... position report