According to Mike Sanderson, skipper of leading boat, ABN AMRO ONE, yesterday was just one of those days that the new Volvo Open 70 was designed for, reaching in breezes from 15 to 22 knots with boat speed nearly always matching wind speed.

“We are doing 21.7 knots at 95 degrees true wind angle in 19.5 knots of wind,” writes Sanderson, adding, “numbers like that a couple of years ago just weren’t achievable in anything other than a multihull of a super maxi such as Mari-Cha IV. Every now and then, the rule makers stumble on a special boat. The new boats [the Volvo Open 70] are fantastic, exciting and a real challenge to sail, and the racing is getting hotter than ever.”

As the fleet heads north towards Rio de Janeiro, at roughly the same speeds, 94 nautical miles separates the most westerly yacht, Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) from ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) in the east. Grael and his team are now a little over 700 miles from the coast, and they are desperate to record a podium position on this leg in their home town.

The next obstacle to lie in wait for the fleet is a ridge of high pressure, which they will negotiate today.

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