Sure looks like it, after Groupama sailed into Lorient in the wee hours this morning, to take the victory in Leg 8. With only one leg to go, and a 23 point lead over PUMA, Groupama is about to do something a French boat has done only once before (in 1985). Win the "Anglo" race.

It was a rough sprint to the finish, with Telefonica suffering the heartbreak of rudder damage as they fought for

Folks, what we have on our hands here is the closest Volvo Ocean Race in my memory. Here's why:

• Abu Dhabi held off the pack to bring it on home to Lisbon and take their first Leg victory
• Groupama, who almost snuck by, grabbed 10 more points than previous race leader Telefonica, to take the overall lead.
• PUMA, which has gotten better and better, grabbed third to pull into overall contention (despite a dropped rig in Leg 1)
• Telefonica broke CAMPER's heart by getting past to take 4th into Lisbon, which keeps them in close contention for the overall despite the growing strength of the other teams.
• Just 12 points separate the top 3 (Groupama, Telefonica, PUMA), with 2 legs and associated inshore racing to come.

In short, you can't call the winner, and that is a rare event in a Volvo Ocean Race, with just two legs to go. Just

It couldn't really set up any better. The Volvo fleet has 300 miles to go to Lisbon. The top 5 boats are within 30 miles of one another after racking up some 500-mile days. There is a ridge of high pressure blocking the route, which will throw all the placings into chaos. And, depending on how Telefonica finishes, there could be a new leader atop the placings.

And you can watch it all unfold live on the tracker (click the LIVE button on the dashboard).

Here's the latest update, setting the scene:

Did you miss the Itajai-Miami smackdown leg, in which PUMA racked up another win and moved into podium contention, in which CAMPER and Groupama edged closer to the overall lead, and in which Telefonica started to look distinctly vulnerable?

No worries, the VOR media team has you covered, with a full doumentary hour on Leg 6 and what happened. So grab your popcorn, close your office door, and have at it.

Okay, the Volvo Ocean Race is at sea again, powering from Brazil to Miami. PUMA is off to a fast start and they would certainly make things interesting if they could pull off a second consecutive leg win, particularly if Telefonica stumbles (overall scoreboard here). Groupama and CAMPER are also in a position to threaten Telefonica's overall lead, with four legs to go.

It's nice to have a VOR that looks like it has a chance to go down to the wire (unlike recent editions). Here's the Leg 6 start:

Ok, that is definitely not what you want your leaderboard to look like. 

Groupama, leading the leg and threatening for the overall lead of the race, just lost the rig. Here are the details:

When it comes to welcoming racing yachts that have crossed oceans, no city or port exceeds Auckland for turnout, fanfare, and enthusiasm. 

Groupama finished in the dark, but check out the arrival of PUMA:

And hometown favorites CAMPER:

That's what it looks like when sailing is a national sport.

If you have been wondering why the hell the Volvo Ocean Race fleet appears to be sailing away from the finish  in New Zealand, and why PUMA appears to be heading to Alaska, then the Groupama team will do its best to enlighten you. Here is their analysis:

There's been a major meteorological upset over the North Pacific: a very large subtropical depression (962 hPa) is extending away from Japan towards the East, with another depression replacing it this weekend over the Empire of the Rising Sun, whilst a third system is rolling across from China at the start of next week! This succession of very pronounced disruptions which are due to affect 35° North, won't hit the fleet, which are sailing 600 miles further South, along the Tropic of Cancer. However, these systems are messing up the usual system, by pushing back the anticyclone which is generating tradewinds which are a lot further towards the centre of the ocean. In meteorological terms it's a very unstable zone, which has settled across the route of the VO-70s, causing a highly variable breeze due to a small isobaric gradient. In this way, the north-easterly breeze on Thursday, gave way to a south-easterly flow this Friday morning, whilst a front is on its way with some north-westerly wind on Saturday...

"Given that the weather forecasts have seldom been accurate over recent days, we've drawn up a strategy

That's about all you need for this format when the wind isn't blowing 20.

You never need to miss anything these days. The creative team at PUMA puts out a nice video summary of how PUMA got to Cape Town despite dropping its rig in the South Atlantic.