All three TRANSGLOBE yachts have now crossed the finish line in New Zealand and are on their way into Auckland harbour around 100 miles away.  The RAF, after their successful Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, has taken line honours, followed by the Navy and the Army.  The Royal Navy yacht, Adventure, has a damaged spinnaker pole that needs to be assessed on arrival in Auckland and it has clearly been an eventful and memorable trip for all concerned judging by some of the blogs received.

Owing to severe restrictions on bandwidth for the yachts to send their blogs back regularly, the Gosport-based HQ has only just received the daily blogs in one hit. The final entry, received last night from the RAF yacht, sets the scene as the three yachts started to eat up the miles to the finish which was on a line projected north from Cape Reinga, the North point of North Island, New Zealand:

MA-500TR Class B AIS Transponder, Coming Soon!

Since its introduction, AIS (Automatic Identification System) has been rapidly taken up as an essential safety aid, especially as shipping lanes have become busier. Primarily used by commercial shipping for identification and location, the AIS system exchanges information such as MMSI number, position, course, and speed. Today with the introduction of the MA-500TR AIS transponder, owners of leisure and small craft can benefit from this safety technology.