What a blast

As Amer Sports One peels off to collect medical supplies the rest of the fleet is reaching a critical point in the race

Concern persists for the sick Keith Kilpatrick aboard Amer Sports One. News that an Australian Orion P3 aircraft is now within range and will drop further medical supplies later in the day only serves to confirm the wisdom of routing the fleet around Eclipse Island, the waypoint off south western Australia thus keeping the Volvo Ocean 60s within range of maritime support aircraft for a greater proportion of the leg.

For those still racing it is still full steam ahead of Eclipse Island. "Blast reaching is appropriately named," reports Mark Christensen, from second-placed illbruck.

"It is the point of sail, when you have on your smallest upwind sails and are still able to sail slightly downwind (100-130 degrees true wind angle]) at speeds greater than spinnakers will ever go. After two days of this I could not see out of my weather eye and my face feels as if it has been sand blasted. The body and boat have taken a pounding."

Tactically the race is reaching a interesting stage with the fleet closely bunched. Though there is less than 20 miles between the leading group, they are all approaching the Australian coast from slightly different angles.

"Looks like it will be an interesting few days up to Eclipse Island, with each of the boats positioning themselves for the light air ahead, will it be the direct approach of SEB, the middle to lower road of djuice and News Corp or the low road of ourselves and Assa Abloy. A few days and we will know." says Christensen. With the V.O.60 so sensitive to small changes of wind speed and direction, the exact position of each boat relative to the building are a of high pressure ahead will be critical to the outcome of the race.