Puma leads VOR and Telefonica Black regrets move
The trip through the Canary Islands has been a positive one for the race leaders but for Telefonica Black, it's likely been a couple of days they would rather forget.
'Telefonica Black'
Rick Tomlinson © Click Here to view large photo
Approaching the islands, Fernando Echavarri's men were right in the thick of it, within 20 miles of the leaders. But then the team made a break for the west of the Canaries and to this point, the gamble hasn't paid. The crew wakes up in last place this morning, a full 167 miles in arrears on the 0400 GMT position report.
Sistership Telefonica Blue meanwhile have followed the majority of the fleet to the east of the islands and are 120 miles back, despite having incurred a 12 hour penalty for stopping on the second night of the race to effect repairs.
At the front of the fleet, PUMA continues to slowly stretch away from Ericsson 4. The pair have been match racing since the first night in the Atlantic Ocean and Ken Read's team have converted a small trailing position into a tender lead over the past 48 hours.
Ericsson 4 crew member Ryan Godfrey describes the experience of such close racing: 'It is a rather sobering thought for what lays ahead as the performance of all the yachts is very closely matched and I can see the remaining 35 000 miles as being full on boat on boat racing.'
Meanwhile, Ericsson 3 remains in the hunt with the leaders, just 26 miles back on the 0400 GMT sked. The top three have some breathing room then, as Green Dragon is a further 50+ miles in arrears. 
Horacio Carabelli and Phil James dropping the Code Zero onboard Ericsson 4 on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean race - Volvo Ocean Race © Click Here to view large photo
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by Volvo Ocean Race media 
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