The third leg started 1530 local time from Cochin (1000 GMT) Saturday 13 December, after a Parade of Sail as well as a ‘Ceremonial Start’ (at 1400 local) which took place in the channel alongside the Race Village. Hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered along the river banks and in the Race Village itself to send the fleet off to Singapore.
Following the first ever stopover for the race in Asia, the eight teams were preparing to tackle what is expected to be a light, fluky, upwind leg, with plenty of potential pitfalls along the way.
Leg three is the shortest so far in the race – at 1,950 nautical miles – and takes the fleet around the southern tip of India and west into the Straits of Malacca, which ranks amongst the busiest shipping channels in the world. As much of the route straddles the equator, light, changeable conditions are expected for much of the leg.
PUMA leads as Volvo Ocean Race leg three got underway. Right after the start, E4 was sailing in 4kts of wind right now and in sight of most of the fleet. Puma was just in front; Telefonica Blue and E3 were just offshore of E4. Behind were the Russians, Green Dragon and Telefonica black inshore.
