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After a frustrating final stretch when the wind disappeared, Loz MARRIOTT and his crew on Pindar were the tenth team to cross the finish line in Wellington. They pulled into the pontoon as the evening was drawing in and the spotlights made for a fantastic arrival as hundreds cheered and the team song was played.

In all they spent 38 days, 14 hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds at sea after leaving Buenos Aires on the 28 November last year. Loz called in as they were approaching the pontoon and sounded understandably happy to be over the line after such a tough leg.

Disaster struck Pindar early in the leg when the team found themselves without their heavyweight spinnaker. The loss of this crucial sail meant that Pindar saw their position change radically - falling from fifth to eleventh place in a matter of hours. Two days later, when the yacht broached in 38 knots of wind, their 1.5oz spinnaker suffered the consequences.

Despite their valiant efforts, the crew just weren't able to close the gap on a fleet that had a distinct advantage in terms of sail plan. Nevertheless, having got through this leg the Pindar team has been rewarded with a deeper bond fostered through adversity, which will no doubt stand them in good stead for the legs to come.

Team Stelmar, the only boat still racing have just over 2,000 miles to go before they reach Wellington. After completing their second medical evacuation of the leg, Stelmar rejoined the race on 24 December but were faced with an enormous physical and psychological challenge to complete the leg in order to claim the valuable race points.