But it won’t be easy. Leg eight, nominally a 1075-mile short course sprint up the North Sea, has plenty of challenges of the sort that cause skipper’s and navigator’s nightmares. Indeed, the list of potential pitfalls makes the leg look like one of the Indiana Jones‚ movies. No sooner is one obstacle navigated than a new one appears. From the immense spring tides, and the currents they cause, along both the French and English coasts, to the hundreds of oil rigs dotting the North Sea ; from a race course that takes the fleet through one of the busiest commercial shipping areas in the world, to the thousands of tiny rocks, islands and outcrops that mark the Scandinavian coast, this will be a worrying leg for all of the teams.

The restart is scheduled for Saturday, 25th May, when the starting gun will be fired at 17:00, local time (15:00 UTC). The early stage of the race will see a real dogfight for position, as the first third of the leg won’t provide much in the way of passing lanes, so each crew will be anxious to earn a strong position immediately. Some of the largest tides, and their associated currents, to be found anywhere in the world are along the Brest Brest #brest Peninsula, making it a particularly hard place to sail. In addition, the land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean produces large, local variations in wind that are notoriously difficult to predict.

Volvo Ocean Race officials have set waypoints that will then take the fleet along the English coast, north of the Dover Straits traffic separation scheme in the English Channel. This is an area where there are likely to be few passing opportunities, although strong currents could be a factor, and allow some of the teams to distinguish themselves.

Turning the corner, the entrance to the North Sea could provide conditions amongst the most challenging yet seen in the race. The Goodwin Sands, north of Dover is a stretch of water characterised by big tides, shallow water, and numerous drying sand banks. With spring tides scheduled for Monday the Volvo sailors can expect massive currents, and, if the winds are opposing the current, some short, steep seas.

The North Sea itself will likely provide the most options for the fleet, as it’s the biggest stretch of open water the teams will see during the leg. A waypoint in the middle of the North Sea that the boats must leave to starboard, and another waypoint off the southeast coast of Norway will ensure the fleet doesn’t make a straight line for the northern tip of Denmark, and keep the tactical options open longer.

The fleet must round Torungen Island, immediately south of Arendal, Norway, to starboard. This coastline is dotted with literally thousands of little islands and rocks and there are an infinite number of approaches to the island, giving already tired navigators another burden late in the leg.

Finally, it’s a 100-mile dash across the Skaggerack, leaving Skagen on the northern tip of Denmark to starboard, to give any real passing lane options before entering the Swedish west coast archipelago and the Southern shipping channel into Gothenburg. The finishing line is just three miles from the race village where the weary sailors will be greeted by a throng of family and well-wishers in Volvo’s hometown.

Although Illbruck has distinguished itself as the class of the fleet to this point, the German team is by no means unbeatable yet, and further back just eight points separate Assa Abloy in second place from Kevin Shoebridge’s Team Tyco in fifth. Grant Dalton’s Amer Sports One is clinging to third place despite a poor showing on the trans-Atlantic leg. Similarly, Team News Corp, fourth, has distinguished itself on the short leg from Miami to Baltimore, and will be looking to move up after a disappointing sixth-place run into La Rochelle.

Before dismasting on the last leg, Lisa McDonald’s Amer Sports Too had thrown a scare into Knut Frostad’s djuice on two consecutive races, into Miami and Baltimore. The girls will be anxious to make good on the promise shown on those occasions on these last two legs, but equally, djuice as a Norwegian entry will be loathe to trail the fleet into Scandinavia. In fact, that motivation will apply equally to Sweden’s Team SEB and Assa Abloy, both returning to their home ports.

But don’t discount the efforts illbruck will make to wrap up the Volvo Ocean Race before the last leg into Kiel. Many of the sailors from each of the teams are worried about the final sprint in early June to finish the race. The last leg, just 250-miles, could shake up the final standings dramatically, and everyone associated with the German team would be happy to celebrate in Gothenburg instead. If they manage to perform on this obstacle-filled race, they are truly deserving of the Volvo Ocean Race crown.