Hampshire sailors are leading the way in the Volvo Ocean Race as the first leg enters its final few days.

Southampton skipper Ian Walker and navigator Simon Fisher’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team lead the race with an average speed of 23 knots as they close in on Cape Town and battle the fearsome Southern Ocean, writes Liam Garrahan.

Walker is aiming to become the first Englishman to lead a team to victory in the history of the race, but Dongfeng Race Team are hot on their heels with a distance of just six nautical miles between the two crafts and the gap shortening.

Antoher of the city's sailors, Sam Goodchild, is on Spanish boat MAPFRE and is are currently in sixth place. 

He is facing a losing battle to catch up with Team Alvimedica who are over 300 nautical miles ahead of them.

Further behind in last place are Team SCA, an all-female crew with Hamble’s Sam Davies as their skipper and Gosport’s Dee Cafari on board.

The round-the-world race is set to finish in June when the fleet of seven boats is expected to arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden.