Virbac-Paprec 3 due to restart this morning

Tasman Sea strategies continue to play out in the Barcelona World Race

Image above courtesy of Expedition Navigation Systems and PredictWind. If you can't see the whole of the table below (this depends which browser you use), scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Positions at 0830 GMT

There is no doubt that having Cook Strait as a mandatory part of the Barcelona World Race course creates interest in a non-stop lap of the planet.

While Virbac Paprec 3 was due to set off again today at 1011 GMT, at the 0830 sched (despite what the official figures above state) we calculate that second placed Mapfre had 135 miles to go before she reached Wellington, while Groupe Bel had 276 miles and Estrella Damm 305 miles. Thus at their present speeds, Mapfre should be passing Wellington at around midnight tonight (GMT), while Groupe Bel will be docking in Wellington for the start of her two day pitstop on Saturday lunchtime and Estrella Damm will be at Wellington (pitstopping or not - we wait to see) at around 2000 on Saturday night.

Impressively over the last 24 hours it has been Gerard Marin and Ludovic Aglaor on Forum Maritim Catala (once upon a time Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher) who have put in the fastest run in the fleet, covering 354 miles, showing the old girl still has legs.

However the focus remains on the Tasman Sea, where Mapfre is shortly to enter Tasman Bay (the northwestern end of Cook Strait). Behind, Groupe Bel, which overhauled Estrella Damm to pull up to third yesterday, has since gained 21 miles on Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes' red boat. But of the lead group it is Renault and Neutrogena who have had the best days, both posting 300+ mile runs thanks to the strong southeasterlies between an area of high pressure southeast of Tasmania and a shallow depression currently centred to the west of New Zealand's North Island. We also wait to see how well Hugo Boss' northerly route pans out against the opposition.

Leaving Wellington today, is possibly not the best timing for Virbac Paprec 3 with a giant area of high pressure to the east of New Zealand and moving away, leaving light winds in its wake. On Sunday the high re-establishes itself to the east and the wind is forecast to fill in, only from the ENE.