Dongfeng Race Team, chasing a slice of Volvo Ocean Race history by becoming the first crew from China to win a stage in the 41-year-old event, slowly but surely opened a gap at the head of leg three on Sunday.
By 1840 GMT on Sunday, they had stretched their advantage to just under 20 nautical miles as the fleet continued to head through the Arabian Sea towards Sri Lanka.
They are all facing a big call when they reach Sri Lanka to decide which side of the island to sail past before crossing the Bay of Bengal towards the Malacca Strait.
Dongfeng's French skipper Charles Caudrelier summed up the dilemma in his daily blog from the boat.
"One thing that is obsessing me at the moment is how far off India should we pass - an almost impossible decision," he wrote.
"The island of Sri Lanka is more than 2000 metres high, and creates a wind shadow to its south of more than 200km. We can head south but we'll sail many more miles and there isn't much wind in the south either.
"This must be the question all the navigators are asking themselves over the past few days but soon we all have to make the decision.
"This could be the key to winning this leg and, unfortunately, one probably needs more luck than skill to get it right. We don't like that."
His boat led Team Brunel (Netherlands) by 19.2 nautical miles with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing around 3.5 adrift in third.
The three crews started the 4670-nautical mile third leg, between Abu Dhabi and Sanya, China, locked together at the head of the standings on four points apiece.
The fleet is expected to arrive in Sanya, the southern-most point of China on Hainan Island, around January 24-28.
The Volvo Ocean Race, held every three years, will cover 38,739 nautical miles, last nine months, and visit 11 ports and every continent. It will finish in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 27.
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