ABN AMRO One, the most southerly boat, last night regained the lead from Pirates of the Caribbean in the Volvo Ocean Race, and this morning has a 13-mile advantage.

Movistar is still in third place, 17 miles behind the leader while Seb Jose and his ABN AMRO Two team are still trailing the fleet furthest north.

Paul Cayard – Pirates of the Caribbean skipper – assesses the strategy: “It could be that there is or will be more pressure in the south over the next couple of days. So we are watching the forecasts and the wind reading we get from the skeds, and may try to move south a bit relative to the group.

“movistar is trying to get up to where we are, east, after holding starboard and the southerly course the longest before gybing toward the Horn. Seems they are not too sure where they want to go.

“It looks to me that ABN AMRO ONE is comfortable playing the low road. They always have the afterburners to come up high if they need them.

“The boats that came through the ice waypoint after us like Brasil and ABN AMRO TWO never had to gybe to starboard as they were being picked up by the north-westerlies on the leading edge of the cold front when they got there.

“We are all trying to line up in the correct place along the cold front and ride it all the way to the Horn. There should be more wind to the north-west so the boats behind should compress on the leaders as we go.”