Volvo Ocean Race: Kiwi on first ocean race boat due in today

Daryl Wislang on the helm with Abu Dhabi. Photo / Hamish Hooper

A New Zealand crew member is on the first of the boats competing in the Volvo Ocean Race which is expected to glide into Auckland late today.

Daryl Wislang, 33, is a pitman and boat captain on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team's boat Azzam which, as of last night, was leading the pack of seven on leg four of the race, which left Sanya, China on February 8.

This is the Nelson-born man's third time in the race that is known as the greatest endurance test for sailors.

The United Arab Emirates' syndicate's Azzam is skippered by English double Olympic medallist Ian Walker.

The boats will dock at the Auckland Race Village in the Viaduct Basin.

It's the ninth time Auckland has featured as a stopover in the 40 years of the race.

On March 15, teams will begin their longest leg, taking them 6776 nautical miles from Auckland to Itajai, Brazil.

Yesterday Ngati Whatua formally welcomed about 100 race staff.

Mayor Len Brown, Prime Minister John Key and MPs Steven Joyce and Nikki Kaye were also present to welcome the race to the City of Sails.

Mr Key said New Zealand had a strong link to the race, won by both Sir Peter Blake and Grant Dalton.

He welcomed it as part of a big weekend in Auckland which includes the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival and the Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Australia.

Volvo Ocean Race chief executive Knut Frostad said he had fond memories of arriving in Auckland."It looks like they'll be ... rolling straight in to the bars in the Viaduct like we did 20 years ago," he said.

Volvo Ocean Race
• Six teams coming from Sanya, China in leg four of the race are due to start arriving tonight.

• The current 38,739-nautical mile race began last year in Alicante, Spain and will finish in Gothenburg, Sweden at the end of June.

• Swedish team SCA are the first all-female team to enter the race in more than a decade.

• All boats are Volvo Ocean 65s. They are built identically and cannot be modified by the teams.