Leg 3, Day 5: Dongfeng leads along the hard edge of the Ice Exclusion Zone

The routing by the Volvo Ocean Race experts suggests the fastest way to Melbourne – still 4,380 miles ahead of Dongfeng this morning – is to sail as close to the Antarctic Ice Exclusion Zone as possible and that is what navigator Pascal Bidégorry is doing.

This morning the red and white Volvo Ocean 65, sponsored by Dongfeng Motor Corporation of China, is the most southerly boat of the seven-strong fleet and she is ripping her way eastwards towards Australia at a position just 13 nautical miles north of the Zone.

This has been put in place by the race director to prevent the crews sailing into waters where icebergs are known to have drifted. Any boat that strays into the Zone, even momentarily, would be subject to either a time penalty for the leg or a scoring penalty, both of which are to be avoided at all costs.

Over the last 24 hours Charles Caudrelier and his mixed male and female international crew have once again underlined their proficiency in heavy weather as they have kept Dongfeng blasting along before winds in excess of 30 knots.

They have not only maintained their leading position but enhanced it with second-placed MAPFRE, skippered by Xabi Fernandez, now over 12 miles behind while Vestas 11th Hour Racing – which has moved up to third place – is nearly 50 miles behind. The north-south split in the fleet has remained at around 200 miles with seventh-placed Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag the most northerly boat and currently heading northeast.

The huge storm system that Dongfeng Race Team is riding is now centred to the south of them and, although they are in a quieter patch right now with the breeze down to the mid-20s, there is plenty more heavy stuff to come.

The proximity to the Zone means that for Dongfeng and her rivals – all of which are to windward of her – there will be regular gybing manoeuvres required which involve all crew on deck, whether on-watch or off, and the ever-present danger of damage to sails or rig.

Recent video from Dongfeng showed the crew preparing for the biggest storm of the race so far. As the skies turned grey and albatrosses dived above the breaking waves, the team went about making final preparations, checking clothing and on-board systems to make sure everything was as it should be.

For the second time in the leg they hoisted a man up the rig – this time it was bowman Kevin Escoffier – to check the mast track and the sails. “We are just trying to get the boat as sorted as possible because in a couple of hours it will be quite full-on,” summarised bowman Jack Bouttell.

French Olympic sailor Marie Riou, who is taking on the Southern Ocean for the first time, managed to get a decent sleep in and then enjoyed a hot meat and potato stew – freeze-dried of course – before going on deck to face the barrage of water coming over the bow.

Shots taken in the last few hours by Onboard Reporter Martin Keruzore show the crew in full foul weather gear or survival suits and with the helmsman wearing helmets with visors to help them see through the spray and cascading water.

Watch the video of the calm before the storm here:

Latest position report at 0700 UTC:

1. Dongfeng Race Team. DTF: 4, 379nm

2. MAPFRE. DTL: 12.5nm

3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing. DTL: 47.3nm

4..Team AkzoNobel. DTL: 65.3

5. Team Brunel. DTL: 67.6nm

6. Turn The Tide on Plastic. 104.3nm

7. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag. DTL: 110.2nm