Sailing: Shoebridge hit by fine at second attempt

The competitors finally had their way when bringing a successful protest against the Bermudan entry Tyco for a minor rule infringement on leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race. It had taken two attempts, led by Ross Field, navigator of News Corp, before a jury headed by Britain's Bryan Willis agreed that Kevin Shoebridge should pay the price for failing to make a radio report on the Sydney to Hobart Race section of the leg to Auckland.

That price was £500 and came on top of being disqualified from the Sydney-Hobart by the organising Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Such a financial pin-prick will hardly deter Tyco, but some increasingly testy competitors wanted to make a point: that rules are rules and should be enforced.

They also want what Field described as "more consistent direction" from the race committee. He, and others, he said had had a meeting with chief executive Helge Alten asking for more involvement by the syndicates in decision-making. There has also been general unease about the way in which an international sports event which should be the priority, has, at times, seemed to be secondary to corporate hospitality and marketing.

The two replacements on the all-woman Amer Sports Too are expected to be the British short-handed race pairing of Emma Richards and Miranda Merron, their roles including the navigation and tactical role previously filled by the departing Genevieve White.

The man with the job of lifting the spirits and fortunes of the Norwegian entry in the Volvo, Knut Frostad, skipper of djuice, said yesterday that he was hoping for a change in the tactical team, giving Stig Westergard more of a say in decision-making alongside himself and navigator Jean-Yves Bernot.

He is also expecting to make two crew changes, bringing in people who have sailed the Laurie Davidson-designed boat already to inject fresh blood and energy while giving some very tired men a rest.

Britain is to lose one of its major events as the Royal Ocean Racing Club announced yesterday that it is moving the Admiral's Cup to Dublin in 2003. The event, which had been held every two years since 1957 and become the world championship of international team racing, failed last year through a lack of entries.

Now the commodore, Peter Rutter, hopes to revive its fortunes by introducing a new, reduced and less ambitious format. Challenges will be from clubs, representing their countries, and the size of the teams will be cut from three to two boats.

It is yet another retreat from the grand prix event which the Admiral's Cup used to be and displays a limited ambition which is in stark contrast to the appetite shown by the French for spectacular sailing.

One of the boats will be over 50 feet, expensive, and will allow an all-professional crew. The second echoes the RORC's wish to remain a club entity and include amateurism by making it a production cruiser/racer with at least 50 per cent non-professionals. Family fun and flat-out racing are uncomfortable bedfellows.

The schedule proposes a series of inshore races run out of Dun Laoghaire in co-operation with the Royal St George Yacht Club, culminating in a 710-mile race round Ireland. It would be staged from 12 to 26 July.