VolvoOceanRace Leg 4 Start , Today.

Yesterday, Saturday, was the exciting Sanya In-Port Race and Today, Sunday 8th February will be the Start of the VolvoOceanRace Leg 4, from Sanya to Auckland, New-Zealand. Starting time will be 0600 UTC and we expect a live-report on VOR web-site and Youtube.

View on Sanya coast during the In-Port Race

A good wind , be it variable with sometimes some tricky shifts that made it all more interesting for viewers but maybe not for the sailors loosing advtanage.
SCA and Alvimedica made a flashing start, and while Alvimedica could benefit from this in rounding the firsts buoys in the lead, the ladies on SCA got going to the land side entangled in some weaker winds and saw some other boats passing. Maphre had a very poor start and never recovered. 
Dongfent made a surprising tack arond the 2nd buoy to stay on the sea side of the parcours and gained a lot on AbuDhabi and Brunel and this ,in my opinoin, was their crucial move to bring Victoriy in this Sanya In-Port home. AbuDhabi fought a steady race and got to the 2nd place but was not really a threat to Dongfeng. Brunel and Alvimedica fought it out for the last Podium place. Brunel on the 4th leg, went too far out to sea and lost grond to Alvimedica, who later could maintain there Podium. SCA sailed niceley to a 5th place.

Fair wind to the 6 Crews on the long Leg to Auckland, crossing the Doldrums and many tiny islands  on route, with chances on calm but also stormy winds. 
And lets not forget the many thousands of  virtual sailors in LiveSkipper and VR that will sail alongside their heroes and try to beat them.