Sport in Short: Sailing

ALAIN GAUTIER, in Bagages Superior, is maintaining his 400-mile lea over Philippe Poupon in Fleury Michon as he heads for the 5,000 miles to go marker in the Vendee Globe Trophy single-handed round the world race. Light winds have allowed third-positioned Sofap Helvim in VDH to close further the gap which was 1,100 miles behind Gautier but is now 500.

APART from a few cases of seasickness, the British Steel Challenge fleet of 10 identical 67-foot yachts were making pleasant if slower progress at the end of their second day of the third leg from Hobart to Capetown. A new low pressure front is expected to bring fresher winds from the north-west.

BRITISH STEEL CHALLENGE Third Leg (Hobart to Capetown) Positions (with miles to the finish, as estimated by BT): 1 Commercial Union 5,178; 2 Nuclear Electric 5,189; 3= Heath Insured, Coopers & Lybrand 5,191; 5 Group 4 5,195; 6 Hofbrau 5,197; 7 Rhone-Poulenc 5,198; 8 British Steel II 5,206; 9 Pride of Teesside 5,214; 10 Interspray 5,233.