Yachting: Camper in battle for early race lead

Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand. Photo / VOR

Team New Zealand's round the world yacht Camper is jostling for the lead early in leg two of the Volvo Ocean race with the fleet bunched within 17 nautical miles.

Late last night Camper held a narrow lead over French-flagged entry Groupama. The two boats have been locked in a tight battle since leaving Cape Town, with less than two nautical miles separating them over the first two days.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE TRACKER

After trailing Groupama for much of yesterday, Team New Zealand managed to get their nose in front late in the afternoon.

But with light winds proving a challenge for the fleet, there is likely to be more movement overnight.

Camper skipper Chris Nicholson said with the conditions as they are, their position is far from secure.

Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante said the weather will make life very difficult for the navigators as they try to work out whether to head south in search of the front, or turn east in the hope of wind closer to the tip of Africa.

"Although the fleet may want to head south, the light winds they are experiencing means that they may not actually be able to do that."

Puma was in third place, four nautical miles behind Camper, late last night, followed by Team Sanya and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, both of whom suffered catastrophic damage to their yachts in the first six hours of the first leg.

Overall leaders Telefonica are in last place, where Team NZ will be keen to see them remain.