China’s Dongfeng Race Team served up another glorious home victory in the Team Vestas Wind In-Port Race in Sanya on Saturday after an absorbing battle in the sun.
The team had already made race history last month by becoming the first Chinese-backed crew to win a leg in the 41-year-old event, when they claimed the third stage from Abu Dhabi to China, and now they have become the first to win an in-port race too.
They achieved victory after a battle-royal with the rest of the fleet, as the lead changed hands through the first four legs as, successively, Team Alvimedica, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Dongfeng snatched the advantage.
"Dongfeng means the wind from the east (in Chinese) and today the wind blew from the east – we're lucky in China," said an elated Donfeng skipper, Charles Caudrelier.
Ian Walker and the rest of the crew on Azzam will be satisfied with another podium finish in second place as it takes them four points clear of the fleet at the top of the In-Port Race Series table.
So far, there have been four different winners from four in-port races in a series that is just as closely fought as the offshore legs.
Enright’s Turkish/American team snatched third spot from Team Brunel as the podium finish of Leg 3 was exactly replicated in the Sanya bay.
Team Alvimedica were the first to reach the first gate and they were still just in front at the second, but only after Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing had swapped the lead with them and Team Brunel had threatened to.
But Dongfeng, as ever, were sailing their own race and they found extra breeze to the left of a course, which was perfectly located for viewing for a sizeable and vocal local crowd in the Sanya sun.
By the fourth gate, Caudrelier seemed to have the race firmly in his grasp with a 200-metre advantage on the fleet, but Azzam discovered some extra pressure approaching the fifth and cut the lead to a mere 50 metres.
However, Caudrelier and his mixture of Chinese, French and Swedish sailors have already proved time after time in the event, that they are at their very best when they are under pressure, and they coolly kept Walker’s crew at bay to claim a deserved victory to huge cheers on the Sanya docks.
For MAPFRE, it was another disappointing day as they never recovered from their poor start. Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) sailed well after winning the previous in-port race in Abu Dhabi in early January, but failed to threaten the leaders here.
