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The decisive stage of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 has started

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The eleventh, final and shortest stage of the prestigious Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 round-the-world regatta has started. The race has never seen such an exciting finale in its 45-year history, with three teams competing for first place on almost equal terms.

The distance of the current leg runs from Gothenburg to The Hague and is just 700 nautical miles. However, not everything is as easy as it seems at first sight. The challenge is to first sail north to round the first mark off the Norwegian coast, then turn south and reach the second mark at Aarhus, Denmark. Only then will the fleet set a course for the Netherlands.

Like the previous leg, the current battle is along the coast, which promises participants the not always advantageous shifting direction of day and night breezes, the treacherous influence of capes and valleys on wind strength, and the threat of hitting an underwater object.

The VOR fleet is now heading for Aarhus, led by the Dongfeng team. MAPFRE follows in 2 miles with Vestas 11th Hour Racing boat in third position.

Brunel's crew is 25 miles behind the leader, with AkzoNobel on its heels, while Turn the Tide on Plastic and Scallywag go nose to nose in the tail.

It is expected that the main Volvo Ocean Race trophy will be decided this Sunday and so far Brunel and MAPFRE teams are sharing first place with the equal number of points, Dongfeng team is only one point behind them.

At the same time Dongfeng is the main contender for the additional point for the best overall race time, which potentially equals the chances of the team with its main rivals.

At the opposite end of the standings, another battle is played out as the Turn the Tide on Plastic crew under Dee Caffari is one point behind David Witt's Scallywag team. And neither team clearly wants the title of major race underdog.

To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the world tour, the 12 boats that took part in previous seasons of the race are also on the start of the decisive stage.

These include such legendary boats as Conny Van Rietschoten's Flyer, winner of the Whitbread Round the World Race 1977-87 (the progenitor of VOR), the epoch-making Neptune sailed by her first skipper Bernard Deguy and the smallest boat in the history of the race, the 46-foot Copernicus.

The veterans, unlike the main fleet, set a straight course for The Hague, and the winner among them will be determined by corrected time.

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