Close-knit family: Da Nang-Viet Nam team are in sixth place after a week and a half of racing in the 10th edition of the famous biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. — Photo courtesy of Clipper World Race

DA NANG (VNS)— The Da Nang-Viet Nam team are currently in sixth place after a week and a half of racing in the 10th edition of the famous biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The team, led by Australian skipper Wendy Tuck, is being fuelled by a plentiful supply of homemade cakes courtesy of their wonderful mothers.

Flo (the team nickname) is currently just off the coast of Madeira and the crew are racing hard to maintain their position.

Cetaceans have been sighted frequently and the crew have made up an expression to describe the dolphins that ride the phosphorescent covered bow waves.

The team has been hit by some setbacks. In the first couple of days two spinnakers were damaged and a loss of communications led to a lack of weather forecasts, but now both sails have been mended.

There seems to be a lot of fun going on, cementing the close-knit Da Nang family, but behind all the fun and games is a competitive team yearning for their champagne finish.

At the moment the wind is light and fluffy and the team are working hard to gain every inch on the opposition.

The opening leg of the race took the participating teams over 5,000 nautical miles from London across the Atlantic Ocean, including the challenging Doldrums, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

It's the first time a team with Da Nang-Viet Nam sponsorship has taken part in a global yachting event. — VNS