After fierce headwinds and waterspouts, gigantic waves and continuous pounding, the six leading boats in the Sydney-Hobart fleet - Nicorette and the Volvo round-the-world racers Tyco, Amer Sports One, News Corp, Djuice and Assa Abloy - rounded Tasman Light within 24 minutes of one another, setting up the closest finish since 1982 when Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by only seven seconds.

News Corp was first round, with Tyco a minute later. Grant Dalton's Amer Sports One was third after another 10 minutes, just ahead of Nicorette, followed by Assa Abloy and Djuice.

The lighthouse is the turning mark before the 41 miles to the finish at Hobart. It was there Aeolus appeared to have shut off the wind. Speeds dropped dramatically. Boats were pegged back to six and seven knots, and their speed towards the finish will lessen further as they gybe through wide angles to make best use of the fickle zephyrs.

Tyco, however, will not have her finishing position recorded after failing to make a mandatory radio call to alert race officials as she entered Bass Strait, the toughest section of the race.

Earlier in the day SEB, skippered by Gunnar Krantz, reported her rudder had been torn out of the boat. The crew stuffed bunk cushions in the one-foot diameter hole to stem the water and fitted the emergency rudder. There was no way SEB could continue and will score one point only for this leg.

Amer Sports Too, 95 miles behind the leader, is headed for St Helens on the coast of Tasmania to replace the damaged bottom segment of her forestay.