AP - Team Alvimedica's decision to hug the French coastline on the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race has paid off, with the crew entering port in The Hague first for the final pit stop of the round-the-world race.
Alvimedica reached the harbour early on Friday, almost two hours ahead of Dongfeng Race Team.
The decision of the leg, as skipper Charlie Enright called it, was England or France.
Australian navigator Will Oxley had done his homework and made the call.
Last week, Enright said to Sail-World: "People can argue about who is the best offshore navigator, but everyone knows that the best-prepared by far is Will Oxley".
And that preparation certainly proved its worth on Friday.
Oxley of Townsville opted for the France route as did Simon Fisher aboard Abu Dhabi, another Australian navigator Tom Addis on Team Vestas Wind and Libby Greenhalgh with Team SCA.
Overall race leader Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finished the run from Lorient in France to The Netherlands in fifth place.
Ahead of the final leg from Lorient to Gothenburg in Sweden, the Emirati team held a big lead over Dutch boat Team Brunel and should lift the trophy on June 27 barring a major mishap.
Dongfeng is third overall and battling with Brunel, which was fourth into Scheveningen, for second spot.
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