The "team AkzoNobel" has been imposed in the sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, completing the 6,344 miles that have taken them from Hong Kong to Auckland in 20 days, 9 hours, 17 minutes and 26 seconds. It has been the most equal stage of this edition and one of the most competitive in the history of the race, as the first five classified have crossed the finish line within 28 minutes after fighting for almost three weeks in the ocean.

The last miles have been a real demonstration of the "Mapfre" faith, as the Spanish team has completed a spectacular tour after overcoming the "Turn the Tide on Plastic" and achieving an excellent third square

The victory of the "AkzoNobel" has been very competitive and has come after a spectacular end since in the last 24 hours, high pressure off the north-east coast of New Zealand slowed the progress of the leaders, allowing the persecutors to recover what seemed to be an insurmountable gap.

For the "team AkzoNobel" and the "SHK / Scallywag," the advantage they had accumulated last week was sufficient, and they could go down the coast until they reached the finish line in the port of Waitematā. In the end, they were only separated for two minutes.

The less friendly face of the day was starred by the "Turn the Tide on Plastic," which after performing a spectacular stage, leading it for several days, was overcome in the last miles by both the MAPHRE and the Dongfeng Race Team.

26 / 02 / 2018: A monumental well awaits the Volvo on its arrival in Auckland

Little, very little wind in the navigation to the bay of Auckland that is already 160 miles to the head of the fleet: 2 knots from the east... first follows the "AkzoNobel," which has about three hundred meters by its stern to the "Scallywag" which is close to achieving its second consecutive victory and about 8 miles to the "Turn The Tide on Plastic..." in the first position the "AkzoNobel" between the three is this sixth act of the Volvo Ocean Race... because "Dongfeng" is just over 38 miles away and the "Mapfre" is a little more imported in the Spanish - it has been made in the rest of the Spanish - it is a few miles in the morning - it has been left in the Spanish - it is in the morning - that it has been in the same time - it is in the Spanish - that it has been in the morning - it has been in the same time - it is in the Spanish - it has been in the same time - it is in the morning - that it has been in the Spanish. The world cathedral of the candle, eagerly awaits the Volvo.

25 / 02 / 2018: The Volvo fleet 500 miles from the line of arrival in Auckland

"AzkoNobel" commands for the moment... but "Scallywag" is in silent mode...

About to enter the last 500 miles, the sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race that is taking place between Hong Kong and Auckland is living its last hours... In the head "AkzoNobel," but it is a theoretical domain because "Scallywag" has chosen "situation of silence" and its position is not known... that was the leader yesterday. After them the "Turn The Tide on Plastic" less than seven miles from the head... and then there would be a "Mapfre" that would have recovered a lot, but more than 100 miles from the "AkzoNobel," followed by the "Brunel" and the French-Chinese of the "Dongfeng..." Right now the north winds of about 12 knots, and the fleet sails 18 knots... we'll have them in New Zealand on Tuesday.

24 / 02 / 2018: "Brunel" comes out of silence and is second after "Scallywag" 945 miles from Auckland

After his hours of silence, the "Brunel" woke up in the second place very close to the "Scallywag" just four miles from his stern... by the way Auckland is very close... to just over 900 miles!, at the moment the wind is 12 knots of east component, and the leader sails at almost 17 knots of speed.

23 / 02 / 2018: Volvo: "Scallywag" sails 16 knots to Auckland which is a thousand miles away

Tonight the Volvo Ocean Race fleet will already be below the thousands of miles to cross the Auckland line of arrival that will put an end to the sixth stage, which began in the past few days in Hong Kong. Considering that "Brunel" is in silent mode, and therefore we have no data, the first square is for "Scallywag" that sails to just over 16 knots, the second place is provisionally for "Turn The Tide on Plastic" and the third for "AkzoNobel..." the two to about six miles of the leaders. "Mapfre" is next about 50 miles, while a little to his stern sails the "Dongfeng."

22 / 02 / 2018: The Volvo fleet is now 10 knots away and Auckland is 1250 miles away

Slowly, but if you pause the six ships that are covering this sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race between Hong Kong and Auckland, you are already only 1250 miles from the arrival on the New Zealand coast... with the surprising leader of the "Turn The Tide on Plastic" that takes a twelve-mile drive to the "AkzoNobel" and the "Scallywag" that make up the head of this act, along with the "Brunel" about four miles behind. Apart from the platoon that commands, "Mapfre" and "Dongfeng" that continue with their particular race... the truth the momentary absence of "Vestas" has subtracted a Volvo, which is not arousing excessive interest among the fans.

21 / 02 / 2018: The Volvo through the legendary archipelago of New Herbrids without wind

The general's colist takes full advantage of the wind of the calm and takes the lead of the Volvo Ocean Race

The Turn the Tide on Plastic expresses the Doldroms to become a leader... when Aucland is 1400 miles away... and the winds remain from the south very loose, of just 6 or 7 knots with the "Vanuatu" archipelago to the west of Australia... through the fleet, in which "Brunel is third" but at a distance similar to the second officer, "Scallywag," about 20 miles from the colist who is doing his August...

Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The volcanic archipelago is located about 1750 km east of Australia, 500 km north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and south of Solomon Islands, near New Guinea. Its colonial name was New Herbrids but this name is only used for historical references. Vanuatu was inhabited by the Melanesian people for thousands of years. The archipelago was discovered by a Spanish expedition commanded by Pedro Fernández de Quirós in 1606. Other Europeans began to settle in the area at the end of the 18th century. In the 1880s France and the United Kingdom called for regions of the archipelago, and in 1906 they agreed to create a framework for common management of the New Hebridas, through an Anglo-French condo. During the 1970s, an independent movement emerged, and in 1980 the Republic of Vanuatu was founded. It should be noted that Vanuatu is the only country in Oceania that has French as its official language.

21 / 02 / 2018: The area of Ecuadorian calm continues to hold back the Volvo road of Auckland

The Doldrums continue to charge their toll in the sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet faces another 48 unbearable hours as they enter another huge calm zone. It is the height of despair. When the distressing Doldroms appear to have ended, the climate changes and a new area of calm chicha emerges.

At the moment, in front of the fleet there is an extensive area of 400 miles that extends to the south to New Caledonia, seriously hampering progress towards New Zealand when Stage 6 enters its 14th day. And with the Auckland line of arrival even more than 1,500 miles away, taking a look at the weather forecast is a disheartening exercise, without signs that the wind will rise in the short term.

The Turn the Tide on Plastic and the team AkzoNobel continue to lead on the south down, with Team Brunel and Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, elbow to elbow about 80 miles north-east, but only ten miles behind the leaders. Fifty miles further south, and just over 80 miles behind the leaders, Mapfre and Dongfeng Race Team continue to seek to rejoin the stage, separated for less than a mile.

19 / 02 / 2018: "Dongfeng" and "Mapfre" shorten distances in a Volvo that dominates "AkzoNobel"

Auckland is already about 1600 miles away for the first two ships of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet in this sixth stage... "AkzoNobel" and "Scallywag" who continue to dominate the stage in the face of the "permission" of the two mandons of the general: the Spanish "Mapfre" and the Chinese franc "Dongfeng" who have focused on a fight without barracks, as if of the Americas Cup were... Obviously the fall of the "Vestas" at this stage is subtracting a lot of emotion to the World Tour... At the moment the fleet has "gathered" in a circle of about 100 miles, and the winds remain very loose of sr components.

18 / 02 / 2018: Slow to sail from the Volvo to Auckland with "Scallywag" in command

West winds of just six knots accompany a fleet that sails with a speed of less than ten knots. In front of the very close fleet "Scallywag" and "AkzoNobel" that are already about 18o0 miles from the arrival. Back "Brunel" and "Turn The Tide on Plastic," and closing... practically holding hands: "Mapfre" and "Dongfeng," which have recovered quite a lot of ground over the head... being only 115 miles away.

17 / 02 / 2018: At midnight Saturday the Volvo fleet is 2,000 miles from Auckland

About midnight on Saturday in Spain, the "AkzoNobel" retains the leadership of the sixth stage of the Voilvo Ocean Race, when the head of the fleet is about to be 2000 nautical miles from Auckland in the middle of west winds of 12 knots, which leads to the fleet at a speed between 5.9 knots of the "Turen The Tide on Plastic," until 14.8 from the "Mapfre" which even when it has recovered land continues far from the head of the race,

16 / 02 / 2018: Volvo: "AkzoNobel" escapes in the "doldrums..." "Mapfre" closes the fleet

New Zealand, the magic bay of Auckland is just under 2,400 miles when it's 9: 00 Friday night in Spain... at least for the increasingly prominent leader: the "AkzoNobel" who is currently sailing over 18 knots with a north-west wind of about 11 knots. After its wake the "Scallywag," about 46 miles away, which carries a good speed: 22 knots, even though the wind that makes it sail is three knots more loose, that's the same component. Already about 100 miles from the leader the "Brunel" who sails much slower, 8 knots... and even slower the two who close the fleet: the French-Chinese ship "Dongfeng" and the Spanish "Mapfre..." only 4 knots!... or the lottery is over or both will have said goodbye to their options at this sixth stage of the Volvo.

15 / 02 / 2018: "AkzoNobel" holds in the entrance of the "doldrums" and commands in the Volvo

The "Mapfre" is at nine o'clock Thursday night the last of the fleet

The six ships that are competing in the sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race are about to enter the doldrums again. As always, the transition to the southern hemisphere becomes an opportunity for some and a danger for others.

Among those who can feel the threat on deck is the SHK / Scallywag crew, the one that sails further west, who are suffering much from the angle they need to do to go to their destination. They have been losing miles for the last 24 hours and have gone down from second to fifth, almost 50 miles from the leader, the team AkzoNobel. In the position part, all the other ships in the fleet are recovering many miles as the AkzoNobel has been the first to reach the transition zone. This is the situation at 9: 00 p.m. Thursday night, when ten-knots west winds accompany the fleet, which is 2300 miles from New Zealand:

14 / 02 / 2018: "AkzoNobel" leads the Volvo fleet and is already less than 3000 miles from Auckland

"AkzoNobel" is already less than 3000 miles from Auckland, sailing in a south-west direction at almost 20 knots of speed, taking the second-ranked "Scallywag" from Hong Kong in almost 30 miles... further behind the "Mapfre" that is maintained in 44 miles of difference and that it advances its most accused real rivals, to the French-Chinese of the "Dongfeng" that are less than five miles from the Spanish... behind this group "Brunel" and "Turn The Tion of Plastic" that is more than 80 miles from the Nobel. "The fleet sails with a north-east of 20 knots, which causes the pace to be very high.

13 / 02 / 2018: "AkzoNobel" sends in the Volvo to Auckland ahead of "Scallywag"

A small mile separates MAPHRE, Dongfeng and Brunel as AkzoNobel advances the Scallywag in the lead of Stage 6

The Volvo Ocean 65 have brought equality to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet; there is no doubt about that; but what we are living in this sixth stage of the 2017-18 edition is frankly exceptional.

The great favorites of the general march practically throwing their breath in the back of the head as, when we have already been 1500 miles since they left Hong Kong on February 7, only one mile separates Mapfre, Dongfeng and Team Brunel, with the Turn the Tide on Plastic a dozen miles behind.

In the front, the strategy of SHK / Scallywag and team AkzoNobel continues to bear their fruit and now march with about 45 miles of advantage over the persecute group, although the ship of Simeon Testipont has managed to advance that of David Witt in the last hours.

The part of the 1300 UTC positions gave the Tean AkzoNobel as leader, located south and slightly west of the bulk of the fleet, while Scallywag is alone, 30 miles further south and well located west of the fleet.

13 / 02 / 2018: "Scallywag" wants to win its second stage and it is played in the Volvo

The HongKong-based ship winner of the fifth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, the "Scallywag" wants to add its second victory in the World Round... and has chosen to play it literally in this sixth act towards Auckland. On Wednesday evening, they are "theoretical" leaders, ahead of "AkzoNobel" and "Turn The Tide on Plastic..." who have bet on them. This morning's head platoon is now the tail platoon... but in honor of the truth this is all anecdotal when we're still more than 3,000 miles from New Zealand. The winds that accompany the fleet are now loose, just 5 knots, of a northern component for the leader, and northwest for the tail van.

12 / 02 / 2018: Auckland is already 3800 miles away and Mapfre takes over in the Volvo

New change in the leadership of the sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race... for "Mapfre" is the head of the fleet when it has already fallen from the four thousand miles for the arrival in New Zealand waters... Auckland is already about 3800 miles away and the fleet is walking at a good speed, around 20 knots, driven by winds of a south or south-west component of the order of 10 to 15 knots. The head is in less than four miles, with the Spanish ship, the French-Chinese of the "Dongfeng," "Brunel" and "Turn The Tide on Plastic..." later but they have recovered a lot, the "Scallywag" and the "AkzoNobel."

11 / 02 / 2018: With "Brunel" in command, the Volvo with a south-east direction at more than 20 knots of speed

The six ships leaving Hong Kong are already approaching the four thousand miles of Auckland, with "Brunel" in its head, which is still an anectota for the moment when the friolera of almost 4,300 nautical miles remains and we talk about differences of hundreds of meters, not just miles. The tail of the race formed by the "AkzoNobel" and the "Scallywang" have cut in the last few hours about 50 miles to the head group, which sails about 22 knots in a south-east direction in search of New Zealand.

10 / 02 / 2018: The Volvo fleet sails with "Mapfre" in head at more than 15 knots

The Volvo fleet continues to be divided into two blocks, on the one hand "Mapfre," "Dongfeng," "Brunel" and "Teurn The Tide on Plastic" within a half-dozen-mile radius, and on the other hand "AkzoNobel" and the Hong Kong ship "Scallywag" over a hundred miles... They are all sailing east, which even though it is not apparently the shortest distance with the New Zealand coast, it is in favour of the wind with this direction increasing considerably: the 20 knots of southern component... Auckland is already a little more than four thousand five hundred nautical miles away.

09 / 02 / 2018: "Dongfeng," "Brunel" and "Mapfre" in a handkerchief on the head of the Volvo

17-kt southerners accompany the Volvo fleet, in its navigation to Auckland, once they have passed the Luzon Strait and still have their target more than four thousand nautical miles. The head very tight with three ships in one mile by this order: "Dongfeng," "Brunel" and "Mapfre" that sail grouped to 13 knots, follows "Tum The Tide on Plastic" about 8 miles, while the other two ships: "Sun Hung Kai" and "AkzoNobel" are no less than in the surroundings of the hundred miles by the stern.

08 / 02 / 2018: In the south of Taiwan, you have a low north and lead in the Volvo for "Brunel"

Little wind in the early hours of Thursday, on the second day of navigation of the sixth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, which is taking place between Hong Kong and Auckland. Northern winds rolling north-east of 8 knots, are accompanying the fleet when it is very close to passing through the southern end of Taiwan. The head of the race is now for "Brunel" that takes a speed of about 9 knots, followed by the French-Chinese ship "Dongfeng" that sails 3 miles from the provisional leader... a little bit behind the "Mapfre" half a mile, a distance similar to that which separates those of Hong Kong, to the "Sun Hung Kai." The fleet is closed by the "AkzoNobel" 5.5 miles from the "Brunel" and the "Turn The Tide on Plastic" 9.9 miles.

07 / 02 / 2018: "AkzoNobel" begins by sending on the Volvo Ocean Race to Auckland

The team AkzoNobel, patronized by Simeon Tespont, leads the Volvo Ocean Race fleet in the first miles of Stage 6, which has left this morning from Hong Kong to Auckland, the City of the Candles

The sixth stage to New Zealand, started from Hong Kong with an east wind of 8 to 10 knots with the package formed by AkzoNobel, SHK / Scallywag and Team Brunel making a great exit, hanging with all the velamen up and the hundreds of spectators' ships escorting them.

But shortly after moving away from the ground, the wind began to increase to 15-20 knots and the huge codes 0 were reached to give way to smaller bow candles, with a lower vile surface, as the increase of the wind so advised. Above five thousand miles, with a prognosis in time that it will be harder in the next hours... for the moment still in Chinese waters "AkzoNobel" domain and absence of "Vestas" by failure, and that is expected to be in the seventh stage of this Volvo Ocean Race. Thus is in these initial moments the sixth stage classification:

1st team AkzoNobel, 5406.7 miles from Auckland
2nd Mapphre at 0.3 miles
3rd Dongfeng Race Team at 0.4 miles
5th Team Brunel at 0.6 miles
6th Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag 1.2 miles
7th Turn the Tide on Plastic at 1.5 miles
Vestas 11th Hour Racing, has not taken the exit