With under 350 miles to go to the Leg 6 finish, Camper were hoping on Tuesday that the fight for the lead was now solely between them and Puma – but after stealing third and catching up more than 30 miles in the last 24 hours, Groupama had other ideas.

Camper’s split from Puma and Telefónica yesterday saw Chris Nicholson’s team drop to third after they pushed hard to the west in search of fresh pressure closer to the Caribbean Islands

The front three teams were neck and neck on Friday as they skirted round the Caribbean Islands

The boats remained locked in their formation overnight as they blasted northward towards Miami at average speeds over 20 knots.

Rainclouds and squalls in and around the Doldrums zone have brought mixed fortunes for the leading pack overnight as leaders Puma saw their advantage cut to under eight nautical miles by 0400 UTC today.

Puma’s dive towards the Brazilian coast appeared to have paid off early on Monday, buying them valuable miles -- and temporary respite -- against Leg 6 challengers Telefónica and CAMPER as they led the fleet into the Northern Hemisphere.

Leg 6 leaders Puma are having to pull out all the stops to hold off persistent challenges from second placed Camper and overall race leaders in third.

Telefonica have pulled back more than 180 miles on the Leg 5 frontrunners in just 36 hours at speeds of almost double the rest of the fleet.

The wind and sea have eased but the race has never been so intense, Groupama sailing team reported on Sunday when they were neck and neck with Puma.

Team Telefonica rounded Cape Horn at 0405 GMT on Saturday as they headed for their planned pit stop.