Team New Zealand yacht Camper holds a slender lead in the Volvo Ocean Race as the fleet continues to edge its way around the tip of Africa.
The Camper crew are having to work hard in light winds, and less than one nautical mile separates the top four boats. First leg winner Puma lies second, with French entry Groupama third and China boat Team Sanya fourth.
The six-strong fleet left Cape Town two days ago on the 5430-mile leg to Abu Dhabi.
Camper navigator Will Oxley has been kept sleepless as the crew pick their way through a minefield of wind holes and adverse current close to the shoreline.
"I find I'm doing some of my jobs between micro sleeps - I'm not sure if one minute has passed or five minutes since I started a task," he said.
Oxley says the route the fleet is taking so far on this leg is unknown territory for him, and he expects the benign early conditions to end soon as the fleet face the opposing forces of strong westerly winds and the notorious Agulhas Current.
"There's a whole series of lows around Africa right now, and we're expecting one to come off the land and out on to the water.
"If you are on the back of it, you have a south westerly wind which could be 30 to 35 knots. Then you have a current that is opposing it and that could mean six metre waves, which would be pretty unpleasant."
Camper is second on the points table, three points behind Telefonica, with Groupama another 10 points back.
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