Leg 6: Itajaí (Brazil) to Newport (USA)Winner: Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA)Highlights: After the extreme Leg 5, the next stage eased up with supreme sailing conditions – and lots of seaweed. Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team had suffered bad luck when they dismasted in Leg 5, and it appeared that the curse  had still not lifted, as their electronic water-maker stopped working within a couple of days of starting the stage. Fortunately, they managed to repair it. After crossing the Doldrums, the fleet negotiated the Gulf Stream and the Chinese boat took the lead, winning Leg 6 by just three minutes ahead of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, followed by Team Brunel less than an hour astern. The perfect result for the team for the team after breaking their mast in the previous leg.Leg 7: Newport (USA) to Lisbon (Portugal)Winner: Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED)Highlights: Huge crowds waved the fleet farewell after a very successful first visit to Newport for the race. A high-pressure system above the Azores posed a dilemma for the navigators: go south on a longer, but supposedly faster route, or go direct to Lisbon on a course which could offer lighter winds. The leg had poignant memories for Team Brunel’s Bouwe Bekking, whose boat movistar sank on the same stage in the 2005-06 race. However, he proved how successfully he has put that incident behind him with a 21-minute win over MAPFRE in Lisbon.Leg 8: Lisbon (Portugal) to Lorient (France)Winner: Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR)Highlights: The return of Team Vestas Wind, following their grounding on a reef in Leg 2 and the breakthrough leg victory of Team SCA, were two of the most memorable moments in the race, never mind on a leg, which was finished in under four days in the teeth of a gale. Team SCA snatched an early lead, successfully negotiating the ‘Costa do Morte’ or ‘Cape of Death’ with its 40-knot winds and wild sea state. After a race in which they spent much of the time trailing their rivals, Team SCA finally enjoyed their moment of glory as leg winners with Team Vestas Wind making a fairytale comeback in second. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finished third and were on the verge of lifting the trophy with an unassailable lead.Leg 9: Lorient (France) – The Hague (The Netherlands) – Gothenburg (Sweden)Winner: Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA)Highlights: The last leg featured three ports – Lorient, a pit-stop in The Hague, and the finale in Gothenburg. Team Alvimedica received their reward for their leg-on-leg improvement, grabbing an early advantage in the English Channel and building it gradually to lead the fleet into The Hague. After a short, but manic pit-stop in the sailing-crazy city, the Turkish/American boat edged to victory in Gothenburg despite a frightening moment or two in the river Göta älv, when their boat parked up as the wind dropped away to nothing. Behind Charlie Enright’s young crew, fifth-placed Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing celebrated overall victory.

via From Alicante to Gothenburg – a race we’ll never forget| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.