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Abu Dhabi - French team Groupama secured their first stage victory in the Volvo Ocean Race on Wednesday, beating overall leader Telefonica in a sprint to Abu Dhabi to complete the second leg.
The five-boat fleet set off on a 98-nautical-mile sprint from nearby Sharjah to finish a leg that began last month in Cape Town.
The boats initially sailed to a secret "safe haven" port in the Indian Ocean to avoid pirates before being shipped to the United Arab Emirates.
Groupama's crew had to patch up their $10-million boat with plastic tape to repair hull damage shortly before the sprint, as normal repairs aren't allowed during the race.
Groupama skipper Franck Cammas said that "this morning we were a little worried about the repair. Now, I think we were so fast we will leave it the way it is."
