Temperatures are rising as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet begins to free itself of headwinds and start to make real miles towards the scoring gate for leg seven at the Lizard, off the south western tip of the UK. The Gulf Stream has come into play and water temperatures have risen to 20 degrees C (68F) instead of the 5 degrees (41F) which the fleet has been experiencing on this leg until tonight. Warmer water mixes the wind better, and as the wind will be light under the high pressure ridge, boat speeds should increase and the strong current of the Gulf Stream will give the fleet an added push in the right direction.

Onboard Brasil 1, the leaking ram problems have returned to haunt them. The team is collecting the fluid that leaks from the rams, filtering it and re-using it. “Our biggest concern is running out of fluid,” says Horatio Carabelli. “We have the emergency supply but right now our routine is manually pumping the keel every half an hour to keep the keel fully canted.”

As speeds began to increase for the leaders, it was ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) which reached the new breeze first and left the fleet trailing. The Dutch boat is almost two knots faster than Ericsson (Neal McDonald) in second, who has dropped six miles in the last six hours. Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) lost 17 miles and is managing just over 10 knots, while the rest of the fleet is sailing at nine knots or less and have recorded substantial losses in the last six hours. Up in the north, Bouwe Bekking took the decision to tack movistar at 1900 GMT tonight, but the team is still struggling and barely making seven knots, yet to feel the benefit of the new breeze.

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