Last night Mike Sanderson and team aboard ABN AMRO One continued their westerly course on the road to Rio while second-placed Pirates of the Caribbean lost out by taking the shifts. And this morning’s position data shows AMRO now leading by 96 miles.

But it’s not over yet. The light, shifty winds are beginning to take their toll on the final stages to the finish of Leg 4 and, with just under 200 miles to go, the six-strong VOR fleet will undoubtedly be experiencing one of their most stressful times of the race so far.

Although boat speed within the front of the fleet is currently fairly consistent around 14kts, it’s likely that within the next few hours the leading boats will compress as they sail further into the high-pressure zone off Rio, allowing those trailing the fleet to monopolize on the situation.

In Sanderson latest e-mail from the yacht he confirmed the situation by commenting: “Probably the biggest question mark is, what will Rio have in store for us as the fleet approaches? Will it just simply let us sail in? History and the forecast would tell you probably not, so this one certainly isn’t going to be over until it’s over.”