Race 2, Day 23: Exciting racing as former leaders battle it out

It’s been a day of intense match racing in the top half of the fleet with former leaders Derry~Londonderry~Doire and Henri Lloyd battling it out within a few miles of each other for the last day after 3,600 miles of close ocean racing.

Henri Lloyd are currently in fourth place with Derry~Londonderry~Doire in fifth, and OneDLL, currently in Stealth Mode, is in sixth place.

At the front of the fleet, PSP Logistics have chased leaders Jamaica Get All Right hard and are just one mile behind now, with the crew of Qingdao also gaining speed in third place, 33 miles behind PSP Logistics.

The three yachts have now finished the Ocean Sprint section of the course and need to wait for the rest of the fleet to complete the 300 miles before a winner is announced.

Eric Holden, skipper of Henri Lloyd, describes the fight for points between his teamand the Northern Irish entry who were both leading the fleet until a week ago.

“Nothing motivates a team like having another boat right next to you pushing you on. At 6pm we crossed five degrees south latitude, the start of this legs Ocean Sprint. Derry~Londonderry~Doire was one mile ahead off our bow and they are currently abeam our port side. I think we'll be pushing each other hard all the way down the sprint.

“Interestingly OneDLL ahead of us have activated their Stealth Mode for their sprint so we'll have no way of knowing if we are gaining on them. Their easterly position could play to their favour but we will remain optimistic until the end.”

For more details of the Ocean Sprint, read the skippers’ reports here. You can keep an eye on the fleet’s progress here at the Official Race Viewer.