Spain’s Team Telefonica won
the stage from Abu Dhabi to China, with Martinez matching New Zealander Peter
Blake’s achievement in the 1989-90 edition.
After just less than 13 days
of sailing, Team Telefonica beat French challengers Groupama by about 90
minutes, with the rest of the fleet on course to finish later Saturday and
Sunday morning.
Telefonica has 95 points
overall with seven legs remaining. Camper (Spain/New Zealand) was expected to
finish third in the leg to maintain second place with 80 points.
Martinez, an Olympic double
medalist who won gold in Athens in 2004, said the route through the treacherous
Malacca Strait which connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans between Indonesia
and Malaysia had been stressful.
It is a notoriously busy
shipping lane and is filled with floating and submerged garbage and debris.
“It was by far the most
dangerous leg I’ve ever done in a boat,” Martinez told The Associated Press.
“Malacca Strait in a sailing boat and racing is not the right way to do it.
That was putting ourselves in a lot of difficult situations — that’s why we are
so happy. And now we start feeling more relaxed.”
Navigator Andrew Cape added:
“That was a toughie. Right from the top of Sumatra it’s been really difficult.
There were so many hazards and you can’t take your eye off the ball for one
second because that’s when bad things happen.”
Halfway through the leg — which
was split into two as the fleet was transported by armed ship in the Indian
Ocean due to the piracy threat — Telefonica looked out of the running after a
split in the crucial Code Zero sail.
But after making onboard
repairs, it was back to business as usual as the Spanish crew swept through the
fleet, taking charge after the Malacca Strait section. Telefonica also won the
legs from Alicante to Cape Town and Cape Town to Abu Dhabi.
Martinez, voted 2011 sailor
of the year with crewmate Xabi Fernandez, said he had not realized he had
matched the achievement of Blake, who went on to win the 1989-90 edition with
Steinlager 2.
“I didn’t know that, but for
sure we’re feeling great. We’re very happy. It’s a dream. You always dream to
start a race like this. I just hope everything is going to keep going smooth,”
Martinez said.
The nine-month, 39-nautical
mile race visits 10 ports in as many countries, four oceans and five continents
and is scheduled to finish in Galway, Ireland on July 8.
