In a 5-8kt northerly breeze Brasil 1, skippered by Torben Grael (BRA) led the pack away from the start line of Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Sunday with movistar, the winner of the Baltimore in-port race with Bouwe Bekking at the helm, in hot pursuit.

Now up to 30kts and nearly a day into the race movistar is leading the fleet towards New York with Mike Sanderson’s ABN AMRO 1 team just two miles astern.

According to the latest report at 0700 the wind has settled in an east-north-easterly direction as the fleet exit Chesapeake Bay. Sanderson and team are furthest to the east seeking out that opportunity to snatch the lead in conditions that Team ABN AMRO’s Juan Kouyoumdjian design revel in.

Ericsson have dropped from second to fourth having posted the second lowest 3 hour run of 31nm, allowing Brasil 1 to maintain her position in third.

Pirates of the Caribbean. Having been in first place before exiting the Chesapeake Bay, has dropped to fifth place, with the lowest three hour run of the fleet at 28nm.

This short leg – just 400 miles up to New York – will allow teams to take a pit stop of a couple of days before the last big one, the Atlantic crossing, which starts from New York on Thursday 11 May.

The current estimated date of arrival of the leading boats tomorrow – Tuesday 9 May.