Spanish team MAPFRE won the second stage of the Volvo Ocean Race on Friday, finishing a 7,000 nautical mile leg from Lisbon to Cape Town in just over 19 days.

MAPFRE arrived in Cape Town shortly after 1600 (1500 GMT), crossing the line in 19 days, one hour, 10 minutes and 33 seconds, with second placed Dongfeng Race Team, 37.2 nautical miles (42.8 miles or 68.9 kilometres) back.

"I'm very proud of the team, this stage was very close and we were able to make fewer mistakes than our rivals," said MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernandez.

With the winner of the first leg from Alicante in Spain to Lisbon, American-Danish yacht Vestas, third, 62.1 nautical miles back, MAPFRE also took the overall lead.

The third of the 11 stages will leave South Africa for Australia on December 10 and cross the Indian Ocean on a journey to Melbourne that will take an estimated 18 days.

The 2017 Volvo Ocean Race is the longest in the competition's 44-year history, stretching over eight months and 45,000 nautical miles around the globe ending in The Hague in the Netherlands in late June next year.

source: AFP