Sailing: Jourdain works hard to protect advantage

Two fleets of 60-foot ocean racing yachts will be completing the final miles of their races tonight, one group, on the eighth leg of the Volvo Race, to Gothenburg, the other, on the second stage, from Lanzarote, of their race from Lorient to Santa Margherita, Genoa.

The eight Volvo boats, having had a hatful of wind after the start from La Rochelle, will be hoping they do not run into high pressure calm as they run up the North Sea. The Open 60s in the Rubicon Race were looking forward to more puff to take them home, after being nearly becalmed going through the Straits of Gibraltar.

With just a mile or so covering the top six yachts in the Volvo, the last few miles again looked set to settle the points and in the Rubicon, Roland Jourdain was having to work hard to eke out an extra mile in the lead.

Struggling was Nick Moloney in Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher. Fifth and 82 miles behind, he elected to go south of the Balearics in a last gasp attempt to close the gap.

MacArthur herself, acting as navigator for Alain Gautier on the 60-foot trimaran Foncia, was second to Loick Peyron in Fujicolor on the second day of the Course des Phares as the fleet of 10 went round Ushant on its way to Lisbon. They then turn for the Fastnet Rock and back up the Channel to Calais.