On Day 7 of The 2017/2018 Round the world Yacht Race, Garmin in technically in the lead as the fleet prepares to cross the equator. After racing for a full week, the fleet has begun to spread out. Up to 167 nautical miles now separate the first and eleventh on the log.

The leading teams are still close to each other as the fleet is set to head back to the northern hemisphere. On course from Australia to China, Garmin is technically the lead after a tough sailing night. However, PSP Logistics and Sanya Serenity Coast are very close. The duo, in second and third place respectively, have been drag racing for about a week.

PSP captain Matt Mitchell opines that the wind will ease in about a day or two as they cross the equator. He adds that drag racing with Sanya is expected and feels familiar. Visit Seattle are also on the heels of the two teams in fourth place. Nikki Henderson is keen on catching up with Mitchell but he admits that the sailor’s experience on the Clipper Race offer an edge.

Dare To Lead are in fifth place. After they passed the doldrums, they had to avoid some islands but then it has been an aggressive upwind in the past 24 hours. Nasdaq and Qingdao are next respectively, matching each other to get the advantage.

Unicef chose the easterly route so they are eighth while HotelPlanner.com fall in ninth and Liverpool 2018 place tenth.

“We are close hauled on port tack trying to make up miles to Liverpool 2018 as we sail north in a bid to catch the North Easterly trade winds at around four degrees North,” the captain of HotelPlannerConall Morrison said. The fleet is expected to experience better conditions going forward.