Yachting: Christmas gift for Team

Photo / Supplied

Team New Zealand got the perfect present with as its entry in the Volvo Ocean Race moved into first place.

After a tense Christmas Eve battle with previous leader Telefonica, Camper slipped in front and into a building westerly breeze as it heads for the Equator.

Camper is 24 nautical miles ahead of second-placed Telefonica, with Groupama third, 110 miles off the pace.

The change vindicates skipper Chris Nicholson's tactics for coping with the unpredicatable doldrums zone.

Camper's speed rarely fell below 10 knots, despite most of the rest of the fleet struggling with light and fickle conditions.

"I said all that I wanted for Christmas was for us be in first place and it looks like we've got that wish so I'm pretty happy," he said Nicholson.

"We've done a good job of getting through the doldrums so far but the last 48 hours have shown just how unpredictable this place can be so there's still an awful lot more to play out in this race.

"Nonetheless we hope this is a nice Christmas Day present for families and friends back home and our thoughts will be with all of them as they celebrate Christmas.

"Somehow Santa managed to find us and slip aboard overnight so we're all in good spirits."

Camper is heading for a safe haven port where the boats will be loaded onto a ship and transported under armed guard through the highest risk piracy area in the Indian Ocean.