EF Language and Merit Cup are battling for the lead of the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race as the event enters its fourth day.

EF Language, skippered by Paul Cayard, is just 0.1 miles ahead of Grant Dalton's Merit Cup as the boats race past the Bay of Biscay.

The two leaders and third-placed Norwegian entrant Innovation Kvaerner, which is skippered by Knut Frostad, have pulled away from the rest of the field in the last 24 hours.

Lawrie Smith's Silk Cut is lying in fourth place, while pre-race favourite Toshiba, with Chris Dickson at the helm, is in sixth spot.

EF Education, who led the race early on, is now last of the 10 yachts and over 80 miles behind the leader after sailing into a windless hole yesterday.