Miami to Baltimore

The first of the short sprints started with inexplicable errors as six of the eight boats crossed the start line before the cannon had sounded. They had to return while the smug McDonalds, on ASSA ABLOY and Amer Sports Too, sailed away on the 875 nm trip to Baltimore, knowing they had a tricky time ahead in Chesapeake Bay with its fickle winds, complex currents and lobster pots set to sort the men (and women) from the boys (and girls).

By day three, Fanstone on NewsCorp had moved ahead of illbruck and ASSA ABLOY, but it was nip and tuck between the first three boats with less than five nm separating them. The next day, Amer Sports One had joined the fray and right to the finish the skippers sat back in a flat calm and waited for Lady Luck to hand out her brakes and throttles.

Sails were flapping, but sails on NewsCorp seemed to flap a little harder than the others and Fanstone managed to complete his first victory of the race, an extra cause for celebration on Ross Field’s birthday.

“We didn't know we'd won it until we crossed the line,” said Fanstone. “We flapped our sails better than the other guys and our flapping paid off – good flapping.”

In Rio, many had thought Kostecki was unbeatable, but with three legs to go the race was as wide open as it had been after the first leg with ASSA ABLOY, Amer Sports One and NewsCorp running into some serious form. illbruck led by just seven points.

“We don’t need them to suffer a disaster to beat them, we just need to be better than them,” said Jason Carrington, now fully recovered on ASSA ABLOY, while Dalton vowed to stay on the podium, whatever it took.