Sailing: Boris Webber's Courtaulds has running repairs

A late scramble in Rio de Janeiro saw Boris Webber's Courtaulds in safe receipt of a new pole and a repaired spinnaker in time for yesterday's start of the second leg of the BT Challenge to Wellington. The 14 yachts were led away in very light winds and misty rain by Chris Tibbs in Concert, followed by Richard Merriweather in Commercial Union, Simon Walker in Toshiba and current leader Mike Golding in Group 4.

Although two days behind schedule to break the record of 109 days, the leading yachts in the Vendee Globe singlehanded round the world race were yesterday making good time into the southern Atlantic, led by Yves Parlier, who is 79 miles ahead of Isabelle Autissier, with Christophe Augin another five miles astern. Didier Munduteguy is expected to return to Les Sables d'Olonne with severe deck problems.

After suffering damage during the high winds in the North Sea at the beginning of the month, Lawrie Smith's two development yachts for next year's Whitbread race were forced to run for cover in northern Spain yesterday while on their way to the winter training camp in Vilamoura, Portugal. EF Education went into Coruna, followed by Smith taking EF Language into Bilbao, with assistance from the Spanish Sea Rescue Association, as westerly winds reched 60 knots.