The first boat in the Clipper Round the World Race, Gold Coast Australia, has rounded East Cape overnight and is on its beat to the finish line off the Port of Tauranga entrance.

The crew onboard is facing a long day with head winds of 15-35 knots predicted.

Follow the yachts' progress on the race viewer.

There is a gale warning for the area with the forecast 35 knot norwester changing to southwest at 30 knots late this morning.

The 20.7m clipper race yachts' route takes them outside Mayor Island before they head for the finish at A Beacon.

The pack chasing the leader is still struggling up the East Coast towards the cape and getting to grips with New Zealand coastal conditions.

'The rate at which the wind speed and direction changes is astounding and I have never seen such pronounced local effects,” says Visit Finland skipper Olly Osborne.

Visit Finland is in second place, 72 miles behind Gold Cost Australia last night.

Derry Londonderry, De Lage Naden, Welcome To Yorkshire and New York are all considered possibles for a podium finish to the 3800 mile race leg.

The round the world racers have been sailing 18 days since departing Geraldton West Australia.

The fleet is expected to spend 10 days or so in Tauranga based at the bridge marina and restart the race on December 4, bound for Southport on the Gold Coast.

The yachts are crewed by people from all walks of life who have paid for the chance to do either a leg or two or the whole round the world race.

Their ages range from 18 to 72, and between them they represent more than 40 nationalities.

There are eight New Zealanders participating with five of them currently aboard the yachts, including 72-year-old Fred Tooley from Manukau, Auckland.

He is one of the crew on Gold Coast Australia.

The boats are 20.7m masthead cutters designed by English yacht designer Ed Dubois and built in Shanghai, China.

They are of glass fibre composite sandwich construction made of two layers of glass fibre with a balsa wood core and bearing 11 sails.

They are built to Maritime and Coastguard Agency construction and safety requirements, coded to MCA Category 0.

The identical boats put the pressure on the crews.

Sail trim, accurate helming, swift tacking and efficient sail changing can give small advantages.

A 10th of a knot difference in speed can place a boat a mile ahead after 10 hours, or two miles by the following day.

For Tauranga, the clipper fleet arrival means the whole shore based community, including media, sponsors, plus family and friends of the 180 crew will be in town for the period round the 10 day port call.

There is a mobile workshop in a 40ft container that will be set up at the travel lift hard stand, and the race office in port until the December 4 restart.