Cayard struggles with gear failure

AS ITALY'S lavishly funded Prada syndicate finished the opening round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup with an unbeaten 10-0 record, Paul Cayard's AmericaOne was again struggling with gear failure in Auckland yesterday.

AS ITALY'S lavishly funded Prada syndicate finished the opening round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup with an unbeaten 10-0 record, Paul Cayard's AmericaOne was again struggling with gear failure in Auckland yesterday.

Having been given four days to make repairs to the hull after being side-swiped by Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes, the San Franciscan pre-event favourite was only able to limp round the first half of the course against his rival, Ed Baird at the helm of the New York Yacht Club's Young America. He was then forced to retire, leaving him with a third-place 8-2 record and Baird with 9-1.

In the Atlantic, Mike Golding and Ed Danby on Team Group 4 were gradually reeling in the leaders of the Jacques Vabre Two-Handed transatlantic race from Le Havre to Cartagena, Colombia. They still have 200 miles to make up on the leaders, Catherine Chabaud and Luc Bartissol in Whirlpool but, with 2,000 miles to the finish.they are making fast progress in good winds.

Also back on track are Ellen MacArthur and Yves Parlier in Kingfisher Aquitaine after replacing the rigging that supports the mast on the starboard side. But they are 600 miles behind Chabaud.