ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) β Veteran Dutch skipper Bouwe Bekking pulled off a masterly passing maneuver to guide Team Brunel to a very slim 16-minute victory in Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Saturday after 23 days on the open seas.
The 5,200 nautical mile stage from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi has been packed with incident as the fleet dodged a mid-leg tropical storm as well as icebergs in the early stages.
Bekking faced a route that the 41-year-old race has never sailed before.
The key moment came five hours from the finish when he swept past China’s Dongfeng Race Team despite both boats sailing in similar wind conditions just a few hundred yards apart.
