LONDON - Just 11 nautical miles separated the first five boats after eight days at sea in the Volvo Ocean Race.

At 1009 GMT yesterday, leaders Team Tyco, flying the Bermuda flag, had covered 1,639 nautical miles of the 7,350-mile first leg between Southampton and Cape Town.

But on their trail were Assa Abloy, five miles further back, Amer Sports One, Illbruck Challenge and Team News Corp.

The front five have broken away from the other three competitors, headed by Djuice Dragons, who were 101 miles adrift of the pack.

Amer Sports Too, with an all-female crew skippered by Lisa McDonald, were nearly 30 miles further back in seventh and Team SEB, who had to make an unscheduled pit-stop on Sunday at a small island off Madeira to collect a spare part, were bringing up the rear.

SEB were 200 miles east of the main group and will pass between Gran Canaria and Tenerife, while the rest of the fleet steers a westerly course around the Canarian Archipelago towards the Doldrums.

With the leading boats so close together, a battle to the finish line is being forecast.

"Five boats racing together - I guess it does not get any better from a racing standpoint," Assa Abloy skipper Roy Heiner said.

"I bet my bottom dollar that we will still be racing boat for boat getting into Cape Town.

"I guess the winning team will be the one that gets to play the last move, who gets the last wind shift right."

Amer Sports One skipper Grant Dalton is certainly envious of his rival's progress.

"To me the fastest boat is Assa Abloy at this stage. They have built a very light boat, close to the edge if you like," Dalton said.

"Couple to this that the boat is quite narrower compared to the other Farr boats and you have a good package."

New Zealander Dalton, with three wins and two seconds from five round the world races under his belt, is more than happy with his own team's efforts though, despite having the least amount of time of all the teams to prepare for the race.

"I think we can also be satisfied with our first week's work," he said.

"We are in the leading pack, okay for speed and tactically not sharp yet but learning how to best work together."

The race leaders are expected to arrive in Cape Town on October 23.