Simon,

The VC-bouy - Oudeschild is the 3rd leg in the race. The lead crews only entered this stretch after 1 hour of racing. By that time the lead of the fleet should be well away from the main body and only have comparable skilled crews around them.

It appears that the VC-bouy-Oudeschild leg was a pure upwind stretch then no boat could make in one go. As such it should make for a nice test case.

Wouter