Sailing: Cayard in command

PAUL CAYARD, in powerful and authoritative mood, scored a first and a second in the two races for the 40-ft one-tonners in the pre-Admiral's Cup regatta in the Solent yesterday. It was a fitting tribute to the judgement of the late Raul Gardini, the man who picked the French-American to head his Italian America's Cup challenge, writes Stuart Alexander from Cowes.

Cayard now has two firsts and two seconds from four starts, an indication of the challenge to come next week when Pasquale Landolfi's new Brava Q8 takes its place as a member of Italy's Champagne Mumm Admiral's Cup (CMAC) team.

The British representative in that class, GBE International, formerly Orient Express and sometimes Port Pendennis, has seen this series of five races - the last one of which is staged in the Solent today - as more of a warm up.

New sails are being conserved for the main event but it has shown potential at times in the hands of the helmsman Glyn Charles who has had the Flying Dutchman sailor Adrian Stead working as his tactician following the loss of Ib Anderson, of Denmark, with a broken finger. However, talks have also been held with Mike Relling about taking on the job. A decision will be made over the weekend.

Yesterday, GBE International, which had finished eighth in the first race of the series, had to retire from the second race when a broken back stay was compounded by damage to the boom. Overnight repairs were expected to be successful.

Dennis Conner will this weekend race an Etchells 22 here as part of his preparation for the world championship to be staged there in two years. He is also contemplating racing an Etchells in Cowes Week, which starts next Saturday.

BRITISH ONE-TON REGATTA (Cowes) Race 3: 1 Brava Q8 (It) P Cayard; 2 Corum Diamant (Fr) M Bouet; 3 Pinta (Ger) W Illbruck (Ger). Race 4: 1 Pinta; 2 Brava Q8; 3 Thomas I-Punkt (Ger) T Friese. Overall (after four races): 1 Brava Q8 38.5pts; 2 Thomas I-Punkt 30; 3 Ninja (Aus) G Bourke 29.25.

Gardini obituary, Page 13