Lack of wind frustrated competitors in the Whitbread Round the World Race on Sunday after a good start from Auckland. The fleet of nine boats left Auckland's Waitemata Harbour bound for Sao Sebastiao in Brazil in a steady southerly breeze, with their massive masthead spinnakers billowing above the thousands of spectator craft that saw them off.

But little over four miles from the start, the wind faded, leaving the early leader, Grant Dalton's Monaco-based boat Merit Cup, helpless, while the rest of the fleet skirted the calm patch she was sitting in.

Norway's Innovation Kvaerner, skippered by Knut Frostad, took over the lead, but as the fleet turned east across the Hauraki Gulf, the breeze again died.

This time the whole fleet spread out across the gulf, in search of any wisps of wind that would help and the order changed several times as first one boat, then another found patches of breeze.

Late in the afternoon, the leaders picked up a decent breeze and started to hurry along again at 11 knots, but their excitement was short-lived as nightfall saw the breeze dying again and speeds dropping.

As the boats started their first night at sea, Merit Cup had regained the lead and, along with the American entry, Chessie Racing skippered by Dee Smith, had opened up a gap of just over six miles on the rest of the fleet.

The fifth leg takes the fleet 4,550 miles through the treacherous Southern Ocean to Cape Horn before they turn north and sail up the east coast of South America.