Five days into the eighth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race game and the leaderboard has been well and truly shaken up.
French virtual skipper scorpennic29sTPN now occupies the top spot a mile ahead of Portugal’s nsp and almost two miles in front of the Czech Republic’s DJKotva.
Scorpennic29sTPN jumped to the front of the 43,000-strong virtual fleet by picking a course inshore of the rhumbline, around 100 miles off the coast of Brazil.
In fact their position on Friday was just a few miles from that of Volvo Ocean Race team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag.
However it’s tight at the front – the top ten players are all within six miles of one another while the top 50 are split by less than 12 miles.
The leaders might be closer to the finish line but those players that have positioned themselves further to the east are starting to benefit from slightly stronger breeze and a better wind angle.
Brazil’s Brubera, for example, currently lies around 80 miles south-east of scorpennic29sTPN in 4,245th, but their speed was almost two knots faster.
The positions the players have taken will prove crucial over the next stage of the leg which will see them hook into the south-easterly trade winds.
Once into the trades there is very little scope for manoeuvre until the Doldrums, lying another three days down the track.
Can scorpennic29sTPN hold onto the lead, or will the players lined up in the east come charging past at greater speed?
Go to www.volvooceanrace.com/game to find out!
