After five days of action in Leg 3…

After five days of action in Leg 3 it's all change at the top of the Volvo Ocean Race game leaderboard as the virtual fleet dives further south towards Antartica.

The top spot is now held by Germany's mescalito11 who has just edged ahead in a pack of players who have opted to stick close to the rhumb line.

But it's incredibly close – in fact, Swedish player SWE8412 is just 0.1 nautical mile behind in second, while French virtual skipper Noadkoko is 0.12 miles back in third.

Less than 2.5 miles split the top 10 boats and just four miles separate the first 50.

With 61,000 players from all over the globe contesting the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race game, anything can happen.

The leading players are around 600 miles north of Antartica, enjoying the fast sailing that a big Southern Ocean depression has provided.

While the real Volvo Ocean Race teams are forced to stay above a virtual ice exclusion zone for safety reasons, players of the game are free to dip as far south as they like.

The advantage this gives is that it allows them to forge a much shorter route, effectively cutting the corner on the Volvo Ocean Race teams to the north.

While they don't have to worry about being freezing cold, or getting smashed about by mountainous waves and howling winds, the game's virtual skippers are in for a few more sleepless nights yet.

Their goal over the coming days is to stay ahead of the east-moving depression, riding its favourable breeze for as long as possible.

Players that can make the most of this weather system will be in the best position going into the second half of Leg 3.