Sailing: Solidaires forges ahead of fleet as Richards falls back to fifth

Emma Richards resumed her quest to become the first British woman to finish the Around Alone race on Saturday, but by yesterday afternoon she was in fifth place in Class 1 behind Graham Dalton, on Hexagon, and Thierry Dubois, on Solidaires.

After setting sail from Cape Town for Tauranga in New Zealand on Saturday, the fleet had a calm first night with light winds – perfect conditions for getting back to sea after a layover on land. Dubois, and Simone Bianchetti, on Tiscali, took an easterly route, maintaining greater boat speed, while Bernard Stamm, on Bobst Group/Armor Lux, Dalton Richards, on Pindar, and Bruce Schwab, on Ocean Planet, were plotting a southerly course in a weaker 10-12 knot breeze.

All but one of the 12-boat fleet had set sail on Saturday in blustery conditions and choppy seas. The last yacht, Everest Horizontal, skippered by the American Tim Kent, was left in port to fix its rigging ahead of a brutal stage.

A heavy cloud hung low over Table Mountain as the start gun fired from a South African Navy minesweeper to signal the beginning of the leg. First across the line was the Canadian Derek Hatfield, on Spirit of Canada, followed closely by Richards, on Pindar, the first Class 1 boat to cross.

Soon enough, Pindar, Solidaires and Hexagon overshadowed and then rolled past the smaller Open 40, but it was a sweet moment for Hatfield, who has been the first across the start-line each time. Canadian John Dennis, on Open 50, Bayer Ascensia, and Italian Bianchetti were early for the start, and both yachts had to recross the line.

In the America's Cup, as racing had to be cancelled for the third consecutive day of high winds on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf on Sunday, the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final schedule was rearranged to stage two races a day on Monday and Tuesday.

Alinghi, of Switzerland, is just one point away from a place in January's finals, leading Oracle BMW, of San Francisco, 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. The second pair of OneWorld Challenge, of Seattle, and Prada, of Italy, are posed at 1-1. If they finish 3-3 there will be a sail off on Wednesday, with the winner meeting the loser of the Alinghi v Oracle BMW match in a best-of-seven repechage, the start of which would then be pushed from Friday to Saturday.

Around Alone Race, third leg, Cape Town to Tauranga, New Zealand

Positions: (yesterday, 14.00GMT) Class 1 Solidaires (T Dubois, Fr) 2283.56 nautical miles to finish; 2 Bobst Group (B Stamm, Swit) 2331.27; 3 Hexagon (Graham Dalton, NZ) 2343.78; 4 Tiscali (S Bianchetti, It) 2348.20; 5 Pindar (E Richards, GB) 2354.54; 6 Ocean Planet (B Schwab, US) 2388.04.