The crew of Gold Coast Australia is having breakfast ashore in Tauranga today, 20 days after they last set foot on land.

'We just want to get some food that we can actually chew,” says skipper Richard Hewson outside The Café on The Strand.

The Gold Coast Australia arrives in Tauranga.

Gold Coast Australia is on the Clipper Round the World Race and won the fifth leg at 3:26.06am when they crossed the finish line at Tauranga Harbour's A Beacon.

They were hoping to finish in daylight, but a torn mainsail slowed them down.

'We went around East Cape and a bit of a blow came in and ripped the mainsail while we were trying to put in a reef.

'We managed to fix that, but unfortunately the repairs only lasted a few hours. We sailed the rest of the way under tri-sail.

'It was blowing a fair bit, 35-40 knots most of the way in. They are probably some of the roughest conditions we have seen on this leg.”

The Gold Coast Australia crew is breakfasting in Tauranga.

They started the leg from Geraldton, West Australia, with conditions that were either 30 knots of pretty much becalmed, says Richard.

'It was all or nothing most of the leg.”

Richard learned his sailing in Tasmania, and modestly attributes Gold Coast Australia's winning streak to crew skill and consistency.

After breakfast the Gold Coast Australia crew, which includes, 'four Kiwis, about six Poms, a Brazilian, a German and the rest Aussies,” will ‘deep clean' the boat.

'It's a process that takes place at every port.

'Everything is cleared, and the boat scoured from bilge to deckhead.

Tonight the Gold Coast Australia crew is celebrating a crew member's birthday.

The second boat to finish the leg from Australia is expected in Tauranga later today.

Gold Coast Australia berthed at Tauranga Bridge Marina.

Visit Finland was lying second this morning, off the coast between Cape Runaway and White Island beating towards Mayor Island at 4.25kts.

Two other boats that could make it a close race to the finish are Derry Londonderry and New York.

New York's speed over ground this morning is 4.66 knots.

Derry Londonderry is further offshore and making 6.82 knots.

The Clipper Round the World Race fleet of 10 20.7m masthead cutters will be based at Tauranga Bridge Marina until December 4 when the race resumes.

The next leg is to Southport on the Gold Coast in Australia.