CAMPER grabs the lead but Telefonica looming

Report from Thomas Pryor, 26 January 2012
On day four of Leg Three, Part B  CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand has slipped into the lead but is facing a real challenge from Telefonica who have gained a superior position to windward that  may deliver yet another reshuffle of the leaderboard in coming days.
CAMPER gained the lead this morning when the majority of the fleet tacked and headed north in order to make the first turning point of Pulau We on the north west tip of Sumatra. However, the lead may be short lived if Telefonica can convert their strong position to windward of CAMPER into a clear advantage as the fleet heads for the entrance of the Malacca Strait.

The last 24 hours have seen a nautical game of chess

The last 24 hours have seen a nautical game of chess unfold as CAMPER has traded in much of their northerly positioning overnight in an attempt to gain forward distance on the then leader Puma. However, at the same time Telefonica steadily worked their way north above CAMPER’s line and with at times almost a knot more of boat speed has clawed back more than ten miles on CAMPER and Puma.
With less than 400 miles to the corner a fascinating battle is developing as the still tightly grouped fleet fights it out for the lead into the challenging and restricted waters of the Malacca Strait.
CAMPER Skipper Chris Nicholson says that it’s shaping up to be a tight tussle.
“It’s a big game of chess out there at the moment as we all try and set-up for the turning point. We’ve managed to roll Puma which is nice but Telefonica are looking very threatening up to windward.
“It looks like we may have gone too low to soon in order to get over Puma and Groupama and that may end up costing us against Telefonica.
“But there’s a pretty tricky weather zone ahead of all of us over the next few days with plenty of cloud action and squalls so that’s going to make things interesting and could knock boat positions around even more.
“We just need to focus on extracting as much speed as possible out of the boat and see what we can do to hold off the charge from Telefonica and the other boats.
CAMPER in the latest position report at 1400h 26 January NZT has a 0.8 nautical mile lead over Puma and is averaging 9.5 knots in a 9 knot easterly.
Pictures of CAMPER, video footage and audio files are available upon request. Further information and race updates will be available on www.etnzblog.com
The latest audio from onboard CAMPER is here http://etnzblog.com/#!2012/01/audio-mike-pammenter-on-a-sweltering-battle-for-the-lead
The latest video from onboard CAMPER is here http://etnzblog.com/#!2012/01/video-stacking-stacking-and-re-stacking-it-never-stops-on-camper-as-the-race-tightens