A battle for podium positions is developing along the north east coast of New Zealand this evening as CAMPER, Telefonica and Puma fight it out over the final 200 miles into Auckland. After 5000 miles of racing the three teams are seperated by less than five miles. Reporting onboard earlier today MCM Hamish Hooper said, "At first light this morning we caught our first glimpse of Telefonica since the morning we left Sanya 20 long days ago. On one hand it is good to be able to visually watch their every move, on the other is a bit like being a girl at a party feeling a million dollars in a brand new dress only to see another lady in the exact dress across the party. At least we are better looking. Puma is a mere 3 miles directly beyond Telefonica, so we are all lined up nostrils flared, all fired up like raging bulls." In the latest report Hooper confimed that they were now in sight of New Zealand, "We have now made it to Cape Reinga, it was a breath taking sight, and a great moment. For sure it has put a smile on all of the guys faces finally seeing New Zealand after a seemingly never-ending leg. It’s like a sense of relief to almost be home… almost, we just have some business to try to take care off before we reach our final destination. We can see Telefonica just a few miles ahead of us, and Puma a few miles ahead of them and now just 200 miles to plot our way past them. The wise guys on board, Nico, Stu, Will, have all been trying to keep one step ahead of where we are and what the weather is doing. There are a lot of places along the way and changes in weather to come that can provide opportunities or dangers depending on what way you look at it. Plus I am sure there will be a few welcome supporters popping out from the coast along the way to recharge the guy’s focus. It won't be easy but you definitely get a sense onboard that all of the guys are up for a good scrap and will be up all night and hard at for as long as it takes. All morning it has seems like which ever direction we want to head seems to always be the direction the breeze is blowing from, so I guess it’s a good thing we are so used to sailing up wind. There is remarkably even a hint in the weather models that we might get some downwind sailing, which going by the amount we have done in this race now that we are half way around the world is hard to believe, but you never know, hopefully the guys remember what to do! Right now the last 20 days seem almost irrelevant, the focus is simply on the two boats ahead of us and the next 200 miles to Auckland. The thought that this time tomorrow we could be docked up with a burger in belly, cold beer in hand and a place on the podium is what I call one tantalizing prospect." Speaking onboard this morning skipper Chris Ncholson commented, "We saw Telefonica for the first time since the starting line in Sanya, we haven’t missed them one little bit. Puma is just behind them, we are hoping for a bit of a right shift before North Cape to hopefully pull a bit out of them. There is a possible light air section later on in the day, so it will make for a very long final 24 hours trying to get past our competitors. Traditionally, for some reason there have always been some historical battles down the New Zealand coast right into the finish in Auckland, and this is shaping up to be no different. We are happy that we have managed to get back up into the mix so far, but the job is not done. Everything that has happened in this leg so far counts for nothing.“ The current ETA is between 1200 - 1400 local time in New Zealand, Sunday 11th March.
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