VOR: Scallywag (CHN) leading into HKG, at least for now

SAN FRANCISCO – There are days when you have to take the Volvo Ocean Race tracker with a grain of salt, and today is probably one. It shows Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag (CHN) in the nominal lead (grey boat to leeward of the fleet) because they are closer to the rhumbline and hence have the shortest DTF (distance to finish). But given the breeze to the Northeast, where would you rather be – with Scallywag, or with the rest of the fleet? Time will tell. Read Peter Rusch's latest VOR website article celebrating Scallywag's lead here.

Understandably the VOR management would love for the Chinese team to be first into HKG, and will hype their lead all they can to arouse Chinese interest for that stop-over. The fleet is now expected to finish January 18-19. Watch the race tracker here, but as always until the last 24 hours into Hong Kong it only updates every six hours. For our many Dear Readers in the USA's Pacific time zone that's at 0500, 1100, 1700 and 2300.

Positions as of 0900 Pacific Time today (Saturday). Tracker updates at 1100 PST / 1400 EST and every six hours until the fleet gets close to HKG.