Will the west be best?
A westerly position is beginning to look good for AkzoNobel and Scallywag as the breeze settles in for the southerly boats...The wind is finally beginning to stabilise for the southern boats. A nice 8 to 12 knot easterly that is propelling them along at 10 to 12 inots as they approach New Caledonia.
Turn the Tide on Plastic remains the leader.
But AkzoNobel and Scallywag, about 50 miles further west, have been making up miles over the past 6 hours, and now trail by less than 20 miles.
In fact, the spread from first placed Turn the Tide on Plastic to Team Brunel in fourth, is just 22 miles.
"It seems the hardest miles are the last ones so this race is far from over and we have to give it what we can while we can," acknowledged Dee Caffari, on Turn the Tide on Plastic.
"In the end, we're all going to meet at the north of New Caledonia," said AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont.
"Whoever escapes the light winds first should be first into Auckland," said Jules Salter, the navigator on AkzoNobel. "First out will be first into Auckland. The last bit, in theory, is relatively straighforward."
Behind, MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team have resumed their match race. At one point, it appeared as if Dongfeng had made an escape to the west, but this morning, as they converge again, it's MAPFRE with a narrow advantage.