Sailing enthusiasts Brett Hammond, left, and Dave Keen can barely contain their excitement as the Volvo Ocean Race nears its climax - and a possible triple crown for Kerikeri's Blair Tuke.
Excitement is building among Bay of Islands yachting enthusiasts at the prospect of a Kerikeri man claiming sailing's greatest prize.
To lay claim to the elusive triple crown a sailor has to win Olympic gold, the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race all in one cycle.
Kerikeri's Blair Tuke
and Tauranga's Peter Burling, Team New Zealand members who also won gold at the Rio Olympics, are both in the running with their teams in the Volvo Ocean Race — Mapfre and Brunel, respectively — currently tied for first on 65 points with just the final sprint leg to go.
However, another Kiwi could spoil the party, with Nelson sailor Daryl Wislang on DongFeng just one point behind but due to be awarded a bonus point for the shortest sailing time overall.
The 10th and shortest leg of the around-the-world race, from Gothenburg in Sweden to The Hague in the Netherlands, started last night, New Zealand time. The fleet is expected to arrive in The Hague by Sunday.
