Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, ADOR, the emirate's entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, has established a seven point advantage at the top of the overall standings after winning the fifth leg in the epic, round-the-world race, from New Zealand to Brazil.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, backed crew, skippered by Ian Walker, crossed the finish line in Itajai at 16:30 on Sunday April 5th after more than 18-days of non-stop ocean racing.
During the 6,776 nautical-mile leg from Auckland, Abu Dhabi's yacht Azzam, Determination in Arabic, set a new 24-hour distance record for this edition of the race. Making the most of a near perfect wind and wave combination on the approach to Cape Horn, they clocked up a blistering 550.82 nautical miles over a 24-hour period.
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TCA Abu Dhabi, expressed his delight with the result and said, "This leg of the Volvo Ocean Race has been incredibly exciting to follow. From the very start it has been a tremendous contest through some of the harshest conditions our planet has to offer and Azzam has triumphed. I am incredibly proud of the team. All the crew have represented our emirate with distinction, and has received their just rewards with another hugely impressive result."
ADOR started the leg as overall race leaders tied on points with the Chinese entry, Dongfeng Race Team. However, disaster struck for Dongfeng on Day 12 when they snapped off the top section on their yacht's mast, forcing them to divert to the Argentinean port of Ushuaia, before ultimately retiring from the leg.
ADOR's victory, its second in this edition of the race, maintains the team's unbroken run of offshore podium positions and establishes a seven point cushion at the top of the overall leaderboard.
The final 2,000 miles from Cape Horn past the Falkland Islands to Itajai remained very challenging.
The Itajai In-Port Race is scheduled for April 18th with the start of Leg 6 to Newport, USA on April 19th.
Source: WAM