Except for average speeds dropping once again, the last six hours has seen no changes in the order of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet with Tyco, ASSA ABLOY and illbruck retaining the top three positions.

The current wind speeds and general conditions have left little opportunity for passing lanes but the fleet are preparing for a major upheaval with a high pressure ridge and then the doldrums to negotiate in the coming days.

As they sail into sunnier climates, towards the Canary Islands, the fleet have continued to converge with Tyco, ASSA, illbruck, Amer Sports One and Team News Corp within a 20-mile spread from west to east.

Amer Sports Too, djuice and SEB are still lagging behind but remain focused and resilient as the leg is still far from lost or won. “We are pushing the boat as much as possible under a code 0 (zero) upwind. Every gram is stacked to weather,” reported djuice helmsman Stig Westergaard late yesterday.

“The position reports are not always nice reading. It is somewhat frustrating to see the leaders enlarge their gain just by being further into the wind. Hopefully they will park in the ridge before us. The atmosphere is great though. Everybody is chipping in the best they can.”

Leg One Position – Day 8, 30 September – 0400GMT

1 TYCO

2 AART

3 ILBK

4 AONE

5 NEWS

6 DJCE

7 ATOO

8 TSEB