SAILING; Soldini's gamble turns sour

THE FLYING Italian, Giovanni Soldini, ground to a halt on the first leg of the Around Alone Race yesterday, writes Stuart Alexander.

His northern-route gamble on the opening leg from Charleston to Cape Town ran into a patch of light air and his sad message read: "My weather prediction from the Internet was no good. Now I am in big trouble. That is life."

First to profit was Britain's Josh Hall, who slid past and into the lead saying: "I think Soldini may have overdone it, but his strategy might still work."

Switching the other way was France's Isabelle Autissier, finally make her more southerly route pay and jumping from 52nd with her compatriot, Marc Thiercelin, in tow.

The top three are separated by only two miles with over 5,000 to go. Between them and Soldini, but slipping to a 25-mile deficit on Hall, is another Briton, Mike Golding. He is frustrated with gear breakdowns.