Bernard Stamm has further extended his lead of the Velux 5 Oceans Race but second-placed Kojiro Shiraishi is beginning to feel Mike Golding breathing down his neck. At 0500 today Ecover was just 146 miles astern.

However, according to the latest report the Japanese sailor Shiraishi is on top form not letting too much worry him. Chatting from the boat Shiraishi said: “This morning the blue sky has finally appeared after a long time. The blue sky is the best after all. I felt unhappy for a while because of the continuing dark sky like in the Southern Ocean and of repeating the work against the changeable wind in the wet conditions.
“From this morning the wind is becoming stable little by little. The wind is weak and the direction is not good, but it is better than yesterday. While I am sailing slowly, Ecover and Hugo Boss are catching up. They are great indeed. Their boats belong to a different class from mine. My sails are starting to show signs of degrading but because they’re second-hand then I have no choice. They must hold out for me for the entire circumnavigation – no matter what.

“I’m in pretty good shape except my right elbow which hurts me a little bit.?It is rather a joint pain than a bruise. It’s a recurring injury, but don’t worry, it’s not too serious. There is still a long way to go. I can feel everyone’s support and the?prayers of my family all the time. Thank you all very much!”

Positions at 0500
1 Cheminees Poujoulat Bernard Stamm 14° 30.04 N/025° 43.92 W 158deg 10.0kts 9148(DTF)
2 Spirit of Yukoh Kojiro Shiraishi 20° 35.88 N /024° 44.44 W 204deg 7.0kts 369(DTL)
3 Ecover Mike Golding 22° 45.68 N /022° 31.68 W 213deg 9.0kts 515(DTL)
4 Hugo Boss Alex Thomson 24° 10.64 N /020° 44.24 W 178deg 8.3kts 619(DTL)
5 SAGA Insurance Sir Robin Knox-Johnston 34° 44.92 N /016° 43.28 W 175deg 6.2kts 1288(DTL)
6 A Southern Man-AGD Graham Dalton 35° 56.56 N /017° 24.04 W 182deg 10.0kts 1347(DTL)
7 Pakea Unai Basurko 41° 53.76 N /014° 17.16 W 274deg 9.1kts 1732(DTL)