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At 8pm last night Andy FORBES and his crew of BG SPIRIT were 12nm behind BP Explorer. By 2am they had cut that lead to 7nm and this morning they have surged on to relegate BP Explorer to 3rd place.

Samsung also appears to have BP Explorer in their sights - they have narrowed the gap from 7nm to 4nm in the last 24 hours, but more impressive is the overnight run from Imagine It. Done. who have halved the gap between themselves and BP Explorer from 14 to 7nm!

With such an impressive lead, BG SPIRIT and BP Explorer may be in 2nd and 3rd place, but they are embroiled in a fight with Samsung, Imagine It. Done., Barclays Adventurer, Team Stelmar and SAIC La Jolla in 4th to 8th place respectively. These seven yachts occupy just 16nm in terms of DTL (Distance to Leader), so expect more changes on the leader board soon.

VAIO, Me to You, Pindar and Team Save the Children make up the tail end of the fleet, but with all four within 6nm of each other, these positions are unlikely to remain static.

Despite the leap forward from Spirit of Sark, all the teams still have over 5,600nm to go, making early calls a risky game as the 24-hour forecast predicts light winds for the fleet.

According to Sir Chay BLYTH, races are won and lost not in gale force winds, but when you are "ghosting along on the zephyr of a breeze." Concentration will be key for the teams as the drop in wind speed brings with it the temptation to relax after such an intense start.