Intro:

The Volvo Ocean Race continued on Tuesday as the boats raced on towards Brazil.

Leg five started in Auckland over two weeks ago and many boats have been slowed down by bad weather and have had to make emergency repairs.

However no such problems for PUMA and Groupama who are battling for the lead.

Script:

It was a fierce battle between PUMA and Groupama on Tuesday as the boats raced for the lead in the Volvo Ocean Race.

After more than two weeks at sea, and over 6,000 nautical miles since the start of leg five in Auckland, the two teams were now neck and neck.

Groupama held the slender lead but team member Phil Harmer was very aware of PUMA right on their tail.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Phil Harmer:

"Good day on-board Groupama 4. The guys have sailed the boat well. You can see just behind us, we've managed to get back ahead of them (PUMA). A good old dogfight. We've got just under a thousand miles to go, so it's anyone's race at the moment… three to four days to go."

So just 0.2 nautical miles between them and under a thousand miles left to sail.

With the boats expected to arrive in Brazil in three to four days, this leg is still very much up for grabs.