Sailing

Silk Cut's 184-mile run back through the Whitbread Round the World Race pack, rising from second from last, to lead the eighth stage from Baltimore to La Rochelle, may yet prove a temporary glory.

While early in the day the sole British entry was credited with the lead, by yesterday afternoon they, too, were struggling along at less than five knots and had dropped to second place, 2.4 miles behind the Paul Standbridge-skippered Toshiba. Placings:

Leg 8 -1, Toshiba, (P Standbridge, USA) 533.0 miles to finish; 2, Silk Cut, (L Smith, Great Britain) +2.4 miles behind leader, 3, Chessie Racing, (J Kostecki, USA), +2.7 miles behind leader; 4, EF Education (C Guillou, Sweden) +29.1 miles; 5, Merit Cup, (G Dalton, Monaco) +39.5 miles to finish; 6, EF Language, (P Cayard, Sweden) +49.7 miles behind leader; 7, Swedish Match (G Krantz, Sweden) +62.2 miles; 8, Innovation Kvaerner, (K Frostad, Norway) +64.3 miles behind leader; 9, Brunel Sunergy (R Heiner, Holland) +74.9 miles.