Overall victor Paul Cayard, skipper of EF Langauge, which had won the Whitbread Round the World Race even before the final leg started from La Rochelle in France, yesterday confessed he was relieved ''not to have the race on the line'' - needing a result from this last stage.
The same cannot be said for the four boats vying for second place, especially if the EF Language team's weather predictions come true for tomorrow morning.
They are anticipating very light winds, which, with the strong contrary tides expected at times off Poole and in the Solent, could mean all the yachts anchoring to hold against the tide.
The start from La Rochelle yesterday afternoon proved how slick the crews have become and the thousands of spectators were treated to a display of close inshore racing as the fleet tussled round the Volvo buoys circuit before heading out into the open sea heading for the 430-mile sprint to Southampton, where they should finish around lunchtime.
In a 15-knot light north-easterly breeze - that, if it held, would see the fleet beating for most of the short course, which the organisers created to take the fleet from Ushant around Poole Fairway buoy, Toshiba's Innovation Kvaerner broke the line first for the two-mile first leg.
First to gybe round the Volvo buoy and hoist their asymmetric spinnaker was Innovation Kvaerner followed by Toshiba with Swedish Match (Gunnar Krantz/ Erle Williams) right on her tail.
On the second circuit, John Kostecki on Chessie Racing came through to lead, while Lawrie Smith had worked British entry Silk Cut through from second from last to third place as the fleet bid their final au revoir to La Rochelle. Silk Cut lies in fifth overall and needs to make up 23 points on fourth-placed Chessie Racing.
Racing to their home port, Silk Cut has an outside chance of a top three placing but needs to finish in the top three and rely on getting the boats that are not in contention, including EF Langauge, as a buffer between Chessie Racing, third-placed Merit Cup and second-placed Swedish Match.
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