Sailing: Brady has the speed as Law keeps track

NEW ZEALANDER Gavin Brady was setting the pace on the second, still breezy, day of the Hoya Lymington Cup yesterday, with defending champion Chris Law also settling into a speed that should ensure he makes the cut to the top six today.

Brady, who has two Congressional Cup wins under his belt, has been threatening to do well at Britain's only Grade 1 event on the world match racing circuit.

But he was knocked out unexpectedly early in his first two appearances. Third time, he hopes, will not just be lucky, but just reward for a team that includes one of Whitbread winner Paul Cayard's lieutenants, Mark Christensen.

Despite claims the International Sailing Federation is in talks with Volvo about a partnership over the running of the next Round the World Race in 2001, Mel Pyatt, managing director of the Brussels-based division of the Swedish automotive group, which runs Volvo events worldwide, said yesterday: "We are not talking to the ISAF at all. We have never been approached by the ISAF at any stage."

Pyatt made it clear Volvo wished solely to be responsible for the running of the event, for any commercial development, and would retain the television rights it has bought.