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Volvo leaders leave fleet behind

Illbruck followed by Assa Abloy

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Having raced through the Tropics and Doldrums, the leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race are pushing towards Florida, with the chasing pack trailing 100 miles behind.

Illbruck, the overall race leader, has increased her lead over the two closest rivals -- Assa Abloy and Tyco -- in the fifth leg of the race, which started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 11 days ago, with eight miles now separating the three.

The boats will now slide onto the Trade Wind conveyor belt to Barbuda which means only one thing - very few passing lanes for the next 1,000 nautical miles.

In what has been one of the closest tactical battles of the race so far, Illbruck skipper John Kostecki said: "It keeps things interesting ... We've always been in touch with the other boats, it just makes every change, every sail change, every watch change super critical.

YOUR SAY E-mail us with your views  on the world of sailing   INSIDE SAILING • SEB leaves Amer wooden spoon  • Illbruck damaged in collision off Rio  • Volvo boats prepare for leg five  • Illbruck sets fast pace      QUICKVOTE Can Illbruck maintain its lead in the Volvo Ocean Race? Yes No View Results

"It's good, it makes you a better sailor."

Assa Abloy navigator Mark Rudiger was quoted as saying on the race's official Web site: "We're having a good battle.

"Illbruck picked up a good squall last night and managed to sneak ahead by a couple of miles but then we were able to gain some miles over Tyco. It's sure close."

Gunnar Krantz' Team SEB, in fourth position, has consolidated her lead over the chasing pack, coming across the track to within 20 miles of fifth placed Amer Sports One.

Grant Dalton's Amer Sports One and Lisa McDonald's Amer Sports Too had been battling it out at the back of the race since the start of the fifth leg. Amer One chased Amer Too's all-women crew over the last couple of days before moving into fifth place. Amer Too is currently in the seventh position.

Amer Sports One's Dutch co-skipper Bouwe Bekking said: "There were mixed feelings on board. It's nice they're [Amer Sports Too] doing well. It has been quite nice sailing for them, it hasn't been physically hard, and it shows they can do very well.

"They have a nice boat and nice sails so it's nice for them – but it's not nice for us."

A boat that has met with frustration since leading out of the Baia da Guanabana 11 days ago before rapidly falling behind is Knut Frostad's Djuice, now some 50 miles off the pace.

"None of us are too happy with the current situation but it's part of this game and we just have to get on and hope for an opportunity in the future," Frostad said.

As with Amer Sports One, Djuice was left in a windless zone several hours longer than the other teams. "The worst is when you get the skeds and realise you are the only one who fell into the latest parking lot. That's horrible and it's devastating for the crew," explained Frostad.

The eight boats still have some 2,500 nautical miles to sail towards the Florida coastline, where they will finish in Miami.

Although Illbruck has a decisive lead and Kostecki will be racing into his home country, the German entry is being realistic and remaining focused on driving the boat hard.

"Anything can happen in yacht racing ... We've still got over 2,000 miles to the finish. It would be nice to extend enough to start eliminating other boats in this leg, but there's a lot of distance to go to do that.

"It's quite competitive and everyone is working hard. We'll see what happens over the next few days," Kostecki said.

The 32,700-mile race, which started in Southampton, England, last September, is due to end in Kiel, Germany, in June.

Volvo Ocean Race Overall standings after four legs: