HAMPSHIRE sailor Sam Davies and her all-female Team SCA crew are in confident mood following the start of the sixth leg of the round the world Volvo Ocean Race.

The team, skippered by Hamble’s Davies and including fellow county-based sailors Dee Caffari and Libby Greenhalgh, are hoping to impress on the leg en route to Newport Rhode Island in north America.

“In the history of the Volvo Ocean Race, Brazil has stood as a welcomed milestone,” said Team SCA’s Corinna Halloran.

“If all goes according to plan, Brazil is the first stopover back in the Atlantic Ocean, the first stopover after the ominous Southern Ocean.

“Once you reach Brazil, you take a deep breath, as the Southern Ocean is now a distant memory.

“The legs now are shorter and the gloves are coming off—no longer should we need to go into ‘survival’ mode.

“Leading up to this leg, our coaches, friends, and by complete strangers have all told us that this is our leg.

“These are the conditions we know very well and we now have thousands of miles of Volvo Ocean Race experience.

“We have shown and proved that we can fight—and we are entirely prepared to do so.

“We’ve entirely taken on that mentality that this is our leg.

“We all feel it; there is an electric buzz in the air.

“We have our Brazilian good luck bracelets and we’re focused, determined to keep the fleet entirely within our grasp.

“This is our time—here we come!”

As of this afternoon, Spanish boat MAPFRE was leading the leg, though all six boats were only seperated by around six nautical miles.