Emily Nagel and her Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team colleagues were expected to complete the final leg of the Ocean Race Europe from Alicante, Spain, to Genoa, Italy overnight.

The Portuguese-based team were among the lead bunch in the VO65 class that made the most of yesterday’s light and moderate breeze in the Mediterranean as they inched closer towards their final destination.

The fleet was within 100 nautical miles of the finish line with Sailing Team Poland still leading the pack followed by previous leaders Team Childhood-I in second and Nagel and her Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team colleagues in third.

The seven-boat fleet compressed as it headed down the home stretch with only 26 nautical miles separating leaders Sailing Team Poland from last-placed The Austrian Ocean Race Project.

This has set the stage for an intriguing finish as none of the trailing teams could be ruled out of contention for line honours with the breeze forecast to diminish even further on the approach to Genoa.

Nagel and her colleagues led early in the 600-nautical mile passage to Genoa before being passed by Team Childhood-I, helmed by multiple America’s Cup winner Simeon Tienpont.

Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team topped VO65 standings on a tie-break over AkzoNobel Ocean Racing heading into the third and final leg and coastal race of the inaugural series, which began in Lorient, France, last month.