Sailing: Wild night in Biscay for Goss and Dinelli

Britain's Pete Goss and the Frenchman Raphael Dinelli suffered electrical problems during a wild first night in the Bay of Biscay for the Jacques Vabre two-handed race from Le Havre to Cartagena, Colombia.

Goss and Dinelli, the man he rescued in the southern ocean last year, were at first thought to have been dismasted in 50 knot winds. They have decided to push on in BMW Performance, unlike the French pair, Eric Dumont and Eric Denamiel, who have returned to port after their boat, Cafe Legals, did lose its mast. Britain's Josh Hall and Bob Hooke, aboard Gartmore, have pulled out and are heading for Harwich.

The remaining 17 monohulls were led by Jean Maurel and Fred Daharel in Saupiquet, while the multihulls' leader was Banque Populaire crewed by Francis Joyon and Roland Jourdain.

The Whitbread Round the World Race was being fiercely contested last night by the new leader Paul Cayard in EF Language and the second-placed Grant Dalton in Merit Cup. Dalton was just over a mile behind Cayard as they rounded Isla da Trindade off Brazil.

Innovation Kvaerner was third, having lost the lead for the first time since leaving Southampton on Saturday. Brunel Sunergy was back in race after a stop of three-and-a-half hours in Recife to replace a damaged rudder.

WHITBREAD ROUND THE WORLD RACE (first leg, 7,350 miles, Southampton to Cape Town) Latest positions: 1 EF Language (Swe) P Cayard 2,626 miles to finish; 2 Merit Cup (Monaco) G Dalton +1 mile; 3 Innovation Kvaerner (Nor) K Frostad +6; 4 Silk Cut (GB) L Smith +93; 5 Chessie Racing (US) M Fischer +119; 6 Toshiba (US) C Dickson +292; 7 America's Challenge (US) R Field +294; 8 Swedish Match (Swe) G Krantz +324; 9 EF Education (Swe) C Guillou +527; 10 Brunel Sunergy (Neth) H Bouscholte +647.