HAMBLE’S Sam Davies was left hailing a great team effort after skippering the all-female crew of Team SCA to victory in the third Volvo Ocean In-Port Race.

It was a surprise win for the women, who have finished sixth in both the VOR legs so far.

But it was also a comprehensive one, Team SCA finishing nearly one and a half minutes in front of their nearest competitor.

“It's really good for us – a great way to boost the whole crew morale,” said Davies.

“There’s no ‘woman of the match’, it’s the ‘women’! We’re a team, and we did it together.”

VOR second leg winners Team Brunel were runners-up, with Southampton-based skipper Ian Walker third on Abu Dhabi.

Local hero Adil Khalid was relieved to secure a podium finish for Abu Dhabi on home waters.

“It was such great sailing,” he said. “We had a really great start. Congratulations to Team SCA, but also to us.

“It’s a great result, third place, back on the podium. It’s a great day for the fans up here.

“We have a long way to go, and our goal is still to lift the Volvo Ocean Race trophy at the end of the race.”

There was better news for Walker and his crew when the third leg of the VOR started.

As of this afternoon, Abu Dhabi was just 0.6 of a nautical mile adrift of leaders Dongfeng, with Davies’ Team SCA in fourth place 2.4 miles off the first boat.