Yachting: Weather slows down Volvo Ocean Race's leader

CAPE TOWN - A high-pressure system has slowed the progress of Volvo Ocean Race leader ABN AMRO One skippered by New Zealand's Mike Sanderson.

With fewer than 800km to the second scoring gate at Eclipse Island on the 10,000km leg between Cape Town and Melbourne, ABN one slowed down to under 10 knots.

The boats in the chasing fleet were averaging between 15 and 20 knots and made big inroads into the lead with fewer than 3000km remaining on the leg.

ABN AMRO Two, skippered by Frenchman Sebastien Josse, was only 26 nautical miles behind the leader this morning NZ time, with Dutchman Bouwe Bekking's Movistar 60 nautical miles behind in third.

American Paul Cayard's Pirates of the Caribbean was in fourth 300km behind while fifth and sixth belonged to ING Real Estate Brunel (Grant Wharington) and Brasil 1 (Torben Grael).

At one stage ABN 1 had stretched its lead to nearly 600km.

"Obviously Stan (Honey, the navigator) and I have been beating ourselves up about how to get the boat through this ridge of high pressure without losing all our lead," Sanderson said from on board the boat.

"We will just have to see what happens. We think we have picked the best spot to go through and we have done all the homework we can and are positioned in a good spot having a loose cover on the guys behind.

"So really there is nothing more that we can do.

"I have always had this feeling even when the lead was at its biggest that we would be seeing these other guys again before reaching Eclipse...I hope I am wrong."

ABN 2 navigator Simon Fisher said: "The race is now reaching a critical stage as we near the high pressure which blocks our way to the scoring gate off the South of Australia.

"Over the past 24 hours our lead over Movistar has been more than halved as we sail towards lighter air. The sea is now flat apart from a slow rolling swell, which is assisting our progress north-east a little.

"It is a far cry from the big seas and high winds that we had just days ago but it continues to be a battle against the elements all the same.

- REUTERS