Xabi Fernández and his MAPFRE crew are approaching the 100 mile to go point at 0800 UTC. You can see the latest positioning as well as updated ETAs for all boats on the tracker which is now in live mode.
The forecast for the leading group is for the wind to hold through the finish, expected mid-afternoon UTC.
The leading pack is beginning to put margins of safety between each other, but the pressure of the past three weeks won’t abate until the finish line is crossed. This is the view from skipper Charles Caudrelier on board Dongfeng:
“Mapfre is far ahead and even if i hope for a come back on the tricky finishing line, I don’t wish MAPFRE this terrible end.
“MAPFRE and us did a fantastic race since the start, they did one less mistake and deserve this first place.
“But on board we want the second one and we fight for it. Vestas is not far… We should be close and the finishing line is the last trap.
“On board everybody is waiting to see the table montain.
“This leg is my favorite and for me the most interesting and dificult one but she is also the longest and she has been so intensive, since 3 weeks now we are racing like in inshore mode, we have always been in close contact with a boat and fighting to be faster.
“This is really a terrible pressure.
“Happy to have a short break tomorrow and eat good food.
“3 weeks of freeze dry is really too much for a french man.
“My kids and a hamburger and I will be the happiest man of the world.”
Behind the leading gang of four, the pressure is no less intense as the biggest battle for position may be the three boats at the back, fighting for fifth place. Just two miles separate the three boats.
The predicted ETAs have a photo finish with just a two-minute spread between the three. That chasing group is forecast to finish on Saturday night.
“We have a three boat race to the finish line. We may not be at the front with the big boys but our race will still be close and exciting and from what we can tell pretty bloody close!” writes Dee Caffari from Turn the Tide on Plastic.
“So the mantra for the final two days is boat speed, boat speed, and boat speed!”
How to follow the Leg 2 arrivals in Cape Town:
Download the app:
It’s all-new, full of great content and fits on your mobile phone. Why wouldn’t you want the official Volvo Ocean Race app? Head to the App Store or Google Play to download it or find out more here. It’s called Volvo Ocean Race – and with in-built notifications, it’s the best way to stay across all the breaking news.
Watch it on the website:
Head to www.volvooceanrace.com to watch the live stream and all the reactions as the boats arrive and dock into Cape Town.
Check out Facebook Live:
We’ll be live streaming all the action on our Facebook page as it happens!
Join us on our live blog:
We’ll be blogging all the moves and news from the racetrack on our live blog, including the best of clips and social content. You can find it here.
Make sure you follow us on Twitter:
We’re at @volvoooceanrace… and we’ll be live tweeting the action, as well as sharing the best content from the teams, stakeholders and fans on our feed.
Come down to the Race Village:
Based in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, there’s a fantastic Race Village and it’s jam packed full of interactive elements, innovative structures and loads of exciting things to do. The Race Village opens at 1200 local time on Friday 24 November. Take a look at the Cape Town Host City page.
Play the Game:
Test your skills against some of the best virtual sailors in the world with the Volvo Ocean Race Game. Play it here.
