Puma holds onto slender Volvo lead

(GETTY IMAGES)

A midnight dash to the finishing line was on the cards for the ninth leg of the Volvo round the world race from Marstrand to Stockholm.

In the near permanent twilight this far north, the American yacht Puma held a slender lead over the two Ericsson yachts, a result which would boost even further the spirits of skipper Kenny Read as he tries to secure second overall,.

It would also be an irritation for Torben Grael, skipper of the overall leader Ericsson 4, looking for his sixth leg win and very keen to be first into his team’s home port. Ian Walker and the Chinese backed Irish entry Green Dragon was disputing fourth with Telefonica Black, but Telefonica Blue was still out of the water for repairs in Inston after hitting a rock soon after the start.

Skipper Bouwe Bekking hopes to restart on Wednesday, but may be delayed until Thursday and plans to be in Stockholm in time for the inshore race on Sunday.