The Dutch team, patronized by Bouwe Bekking, confirms its return with a solid victory in Cardiff and claims its options for the title

Team Brunel has achieved a solid victory at Stage 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race, allowing him to rejoin the race's title fight.

Since he arrived in Auckland in a disappointing sixth place, the team patronized by Bouwe Bekking has completed a spectacular rebound with two wins (both in double-score stages) and a second square, allowing him to set up on the podium and put an eye on the first place after adding 15 points at this stage.

To win the stage, Bekking fought a fratricidal battle with the other Dutch ship of the fleet, the team AkzoNobel, whom he beat for four minutes and five seconds on the finish line of Cardiff.

After them the "Dongfeng," "Vestas" and "Mapfre" that are the five ships that have managed to reach the line of arrival in Cardiff... in the afternoon it was done "Turn The Tide on Plastic..." while "Scallywag" did it at night. With these data the Volvo general is as follows:

1 Dongfeng, 60 points
2nd Mapfre, 59
3rd Vestas, 57
4th AzkoNobel, 48
5th Vestas, 36
6th Scallywag, 29
7th TTT Plastic, 26

28 / 05 / 2018: Cardiff to a sigh receives a Volvo with the first five in 70 miles in a final infarction

It's amazing what's happening in the Volvo Ocean Race... other stage with its several thousand miles and arrival of an Olympic triangle race... when in Spain it's about seven o'clock in the afternoon: ENTER BRUNEL THAT IS LIDER AND AKZONObel SECOND... But I see that this is not left here because "Mapfre" that goes from the fifth sees his leadership in danger, not only because "Dongfeng" will probably beat him in this ninth act... but because "Vestas" is between both, making dangerous the difference between the Spanish ship and the French... anyway Cardiff to just 60 miles and the wind at least punched: OF COMPONENT NORTE from 2 to 3 NIGHT... or by reminding the Galician Carallons in the arrivals of regatas to Baiona...

27 / 05 / 2018: The Volvo fleet with "AkzoNobel" in head very close to Fastnet Rock

It is 11: 00 in the morning in Spain and the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is already very close to the legendary "Fastnet Rock" in the south-west of Ireland and has almost a day to reach the line of arrival in the Welsh city of Cardiff... only 340 miles are left! The winds at this time of a southern component of about 12 to 15 knots, and the speed of the fleet from the 23 knots of the "Dongfeng" to the only 8 of the "Scalywag," going through the 15 of the "Mapfre." In the head it holds the "AkzoNobel" that takes the second provisionally classified in this ninth stage of the Volvo in about 5 miles... back to 50 miles the mentioned "Dongfeng," being the fourth square "Vestas" already about a hundred, with "Mapfre" at its 20-mile stern... close "TTT Plastic" at 155 miles and the Hong Kong ship at about 240. If everything continues at this rate early Monday morning, the head of the fleet is likely to be very close to completing this ninth act. The maximum emotion, in the struggle for leadership in the general, between "Mapfre" and "Dongfeng."

26 / 05 / 2018: The fleet is regrouped in the Volvo, "AzkoNobel" remains leader and Cardiff is 570 miles away

The leaders of Stage 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race have left behind the pletoric conditions that allowed the AkzoNobel's feat and have come across an anti-cyclone that slows its advance towards Cardiff

The "team AkzoNobel" continues to lead Stage 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race as the crew savor the sweet hangover of the historic 24-hour distance record they achieved on Friday. The team patronized by Simeon Testipont first beat the record of the Volvo Ocean 65 of 550.8 nautical miles to later destroy the best record in the history of the race, which had the Volvo 70 Ericsson 4, and set it at 602.5 miles.

Unfortunately, the team cannot waste much time with the celebration. The strong winds that led the fleet to the record stage are calming and leaders begin to feel the effects of an anti-cyclone that stands between them and the line of arrival. After them the "Brunel" continues very close, less than three miles when it is seven in the afternoon in Spain... the third square of this ninth stage is for the "Dongfeng" about 20 miles, the next for the Americans of the "Vestas" three of the Francocinos. For its part "Mapfre" that has recovered a lot occupies the fifth square 28 miles from the leader, closing the usual ones at this stage. Cardiff is only 570 nautical miles away.

25 / 05 / 2018: The fleet continues to sail very quickly to Cardiff with "AkzoNobel" of leader

20-25 knots of southern component, is the prevailing wind in the final stretch of the Volvo Ocean Race, as far as the 9th stage is concerned, between Newport and Cardiff, when only 800 miles are missing to cross the line of arrival. The fleet stretched with a "AkzoNobel" that does not lower the guard and that commands, in front of "Brunel" to just over 1 or 2 miles, the third being the Francocinos of the "Dongfeng" to about 60 miles, with a "Vestas" attached to its stern... in the fifth place "Mapfre" to about 92 miles. They close for the moment "TTT Plastic" and "Scallywag." In two days we'll be in British Wales.

25 / 05 / 2018: The Volvo sails between records... now it is "AzkoNobel" who destroys the record of "Ericsson"

The Dutch team, patronized by Simeon Testipont, becomes the fastest ship in 24 hours of Volvo history

The "team AkzoNobel" has hit the 24-hour distance record throughout the history of the Volvo Ocean Race, setting a record of 601.63 miles to exceed the 596.6 that the "Ericsson 4" had since the 2008-09 edition, with an average speed of 25.08 knots.

Team Brunel opened the thunder box yesterday by beating the record of the Volvo Ocean 65 with 555 miles, which was held by the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing since 2014-15. However, the "team AkzoNobel" was improving its records almost minute by minute and soon after it was over the brand of the "Brunel" and it was going up miles.

The turning point has arrived this morning when the Dutch team has destroyed a record that seemed impossible for this type of ship: the 596 miles that the Ericsson 4 had, which was a Volvo 70, five feet larger than the current Volvo 65. The "team AkzoNobel" has already reached 601.63 miles and it is possible that it will continue to improve this record in the next few hours as it has not yet been ridden from the derasque.

When they are just over four o'clock in Spain, the winds are from the south with more than 25 knots of speed, being the fleet leader in this ninth stage of the Vovlo, the "AzkoNobel" just over 960 miles from Cardiff, followed by 11 miles for "Brunel" and 60 miles for "Vestas." Back by this order, "Dongfeng" is 63 nautical miles away and now more than a hundred "Mapfre," "Turn The Tide on Plastic" and "Scallywag."

24 / 05 / 2018: "Brunel" beat record in a Volvo in which the leader of the stage is "AkzoNobel"

Winds of 30 knots from the south, and about midnight on Thursday at the Volvo Ocean Race... are causing a fast Atlantic crossing to Cardiff that is already less than 1400 miles... to the point that much of the fleet is going over 25 knots of speed in these moments, case of "Vestas," "Dongfeng" and "Mapfre." The head is still in the power of the "AkzoNobel," with "Brunel" on top. The leader "Mapfre" is sixth to about a hundred miles from the head and the "Dongfeng" to just over forty, is the fourth.

Wild day at the Volvo Ocean Race. The North Atlantic crossing that forms Stage 9 between Newport and Cardiff has led the fleet to the fastest part of the history of the Volvo Ocean 65... so much so that the stage leader, Team Brunel, has beat the 24-hour distance record with 555 miles, although this record continues to rise as the day progresses... the previous record was 550.8 nautical miles, and was established by Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the approach to Cape Horn in 2014- 15.

23 / 05 / 2018: "Dongfeng" and "Mapfre" reduce their differences with "Brunel" in the Volvo

It tends to regroup the fleet in the next few hours

Just after the ninth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, an atypical event starred in the Atlantic crossing: a division of almost 300 miles was opened between two flotillas, one that gambled in the north and the other in the south.

"Team Brunel," "team AkzoNobel," "Vestas 11th Hour Racing" and "Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag" chose to make the most of the strong winds of the south, flying south-east at fast speeds. Meanwhile "Mapfre," "Dongfeng Race Team" and "Turn the Tide on Plastic" chose to head north-east on a more direct route to Cardiff, where the ninth stage ends.

Having been overcome by a high-pressure system that now blocks its way to the east, the two groups were beginning to meet again, with the "Dongfeng" and the "Mapfre" recovering many miles, and it remains to be seen which will emerge at the front when they regroup. This is how things are at 10: 30 at night, Spanish time:

22 / 05 / 2018: "Brunel," "Vestas" and "AkzoNobel" stand out from the rest of the fleet in the Volvo

Bouwe Bekking's "Team Brunel" leads a group of four ships that has decided to bet on the south and that is being favored by stronger winds, allowing them to open the first differences between a divided fleet.

To the north, suffering from much weaker conditions of wind, the dominators of the general, the "Mapfre" and the "Dongfeng Race Team," who are marching at the face of a dog from the first day, together with the "Turn the Tide on Plastic," are located. The average speeds of these three ships have been between 7 and 10 knots, while the southern quartet has flown to more than 15 knots.

At the edge of the 12 o'clock Tuesday night, the wind has fallen, despite which the ships to the south continue to sail much faster... 10 knots against something more than two.

21 / 05 / 2018: The fleet is divided into two blocks in the Volvo, with "Dongfeng" in head

When it is about 12: 00 on Monday night in Spain, the struggle for supremacy... the one that was sung: "Dongfeng" dominates and behind it "Mapfre" copying the French-Chinese boat... for the Spanish are above all concerned that their rivals can put "ships" on the arrival of Cardiff, for what they have left "only" 2,500 nautical miles. The winds at that time are from the north to the head of the 10-kt fleet... however the persecute group with first "Brunel" (which is the third of the stage for the moment) doubles the west wind... with 22-kt tips. From this the speed of the group, composed of "Brunel," "AzkoNobel," "Vestas" and "Scallywag" doubles and even triples that of "Dongfeng" and "Mapfre."

20 / 05 / 2018: "Brunel" leads the Volvo stage 9, after a spectacular exit in Newport

The Dutch team heads the most decisive stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, which is the last to score double and take the fleet to Cardiff (Photo Jesus Renedo)

Team Brunel, patronized by a veteran Bouwe Bekking, who competes in its eighth edition, continues to show an excellent way to lead the Newport exit. The Dutch ship continues to recover positions in the last two months of race and is already installed on the podium.

At the edge of 11: 00 Sunday night in Spain, the wind that accompanies the fleet is above 22 knots of south-west component... causing a fleet navigation in the vicinity of the 20-knots, with "Brunel" of leader to 2850 of Cardiff, followed by "Dongfeng" to just over a mile and "Mapfre" to about three. For the time being, the fleet's contact with this ninth act of the Volvo.

Stage 9 is a 3300 nautical-mile transatlantic crossing and the third and final double-score stage. The results of this stage will be very important to determine the final general in this edition of the race. General classification of the Volvo Ocean Race.

1- Mapphre - 53 points
2- Dongfeng Race Team - 50
3- Team Brunel - 42
4- team AkzoNobel - 36
5- Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 28
6- Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag - 27
7- Turn the Tide on Plastic - 22