THE yacht BG Spirit, with Urchfont systems analyst Jon Duffield aboard, has arrived in New Zealand in third place in the gruelling Global Challenge round-the-world race.

The 72ft yacht arrived in Wellington shortly after 12.30am Greenwich Mean Time on Tuesday at the end of the 6,100-mile, 36-day second leg of the race. It left Buenos Aires in Argentina at the end of November.

It finished just two minutes behind the second place craft, BP Explorer, the closest finish of the race so far.

Spirit of Sark, which had been leading the race for much of the second leg, was first over the line.

The last two weeks of the racing had been gripping, with only around 30 miles separating the front three boats at any one time. Positions had changed constantly, with crews having to remain focused in the knowledge that gains and losses can be made with the slightest of tactical decisions.

With a gale warning in force for Cook, the area just outside the harbour limits, and a north-westerly wind gusting 25 knots in the harbour, the battle for the finish line remained intense.

Mr Duffield, 36, who works for Westinghouse in Chippenham, said: "The last couple of days have been exhilarating, but exhausting. We have been so close and the pressure has been on us all. No room for mistakes, no time to rest and no time to even think about what you are doing you just had to keep going.

"It's amazing that after 6,000 miles or so of racing, we three crossed the line within half an hour of each other."

He added: "We made a smart move a week ago, when we headed north. Having made up good ground, we then became stuck last night about 50 miles out frustratingly close to the finish.

"Then windy Wellington gave us a welcome in style and the winds picked up as we drew close to the heads. Reefs went into the sails and we began beating hard into the prevailing tides and wind. Another two miles and we might have had them."

The Global Challenge is one of the world's toughest races. Not only is it round the world, mainly through the treacherous Southern Ocean, but it is "the wrong way round", against prevailing winds and currents.

There are 12 identical yachts taking part, each crew by a team of 17 volunteers, many of whom have had very little sailing experience, under the leadership of a professional skipper.

The second leg, which included sailing round Cape Horn, was relatively easy and much of the distance from South America to New Zealand was covered in more kindly conditions than those in which they crossed the Atlantic. The third leg, from Wellington to Sydney, sets off on February 6. The crews should arrive at their destination in time for St Valentine's Day.

The fourth leg is again across the Southern Ocean, from Sydney to Cape Town. It is scheduled to from February 27 to the second week in April. Leg five, from Cape Town to Boston, USA, will start on May 1. The fleet is due back in Portsmouth on July 16 or 17.

Frank Chapman, chief executive of the BG Group who is hoping to crew on the Boston to Portsmouth stretch of the race, said: "This has been an absolutely thrilling race with Andy Forbes, the skipper, and the crew showing true grit and determination.''

Calne teacher Jenny Lacey has flown out to New Zealand to meet her daughter, sailor Emma-Kate, who is on board Barclays Adventurer, which finished the second leg in ninth place. Emma-Kate, a former pupil of St Mary's School where her mother is a teacher, will have a few days rest before the third leg.