Gothenburg to Kiel

There were some radical moves to optimise speed, including some wholesale crew flicking. Fanstone dropped two, Frostad three, Shoebridge one though Kostecki was unwavering in his selections. Same crew, as it had been from day one.

Inside, the boats were completely empty, with anything that wasn’t needed by the rules taken off.

There was pandemonium at the start with 2,000 spectator boats making life supremely tricky for the skippers who were confined to a narrow channel. McDonald almost collided with a spectator boat and then promptly parked up in a windless zone. Disaster. ASSA ABLOY was sixth, five places behind the leader Djuice, who was four nm ahead of illbruck and 29 nm ahead of Tyco at the back of the fleet. The girls in Amer Sport Too were fourth, but most important of all, they were ahead of the boys in Amer Sports One. Everyone was hoping they could maintain that lead to the end because everyone wanted to see Grant Dalton walk naked up the street with a pineapple up his a**e.

The course was shortened so the race would finish in daylight and Djuice brought some romance into the tale at the 11th hour by winning the leg, Frostad’s first victory of the race.

illbruck meanwhile came second and won the race to take the 2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race Trophy having posted four wins, two seconds and three fourth places and the most points. ASSA ABLOY was six points behind, but McDonald and Rudiger were pleased that, after the disastrous first leg, they came back with such intensity.

“We all have mixed feelings about the end,” said Rudiger. “We're all ready for closure, and to stop moving from boat to hotel to boat etc. But we'll also miss the race, the singular focus, the awesome sailing, and the achievement. For us especially it has been fun moving up the leader board and proving our worth to our sponsors, shore crew, and friends and family.”

Jez Fanstone, skipper of NewsCorp brought up the rear rueing his decision to go west of Anholt Island. He finished fifth overall. “It's been torture,” a glum looking Fanstone said on the dockside. “After 32,000 nm of ocean racing, it comes down to a buoy-filled lottery to a certain extent. But all credit to the Amer Sports One guys, they did a nice job and they got a result and hats off to them.

Amer Sports Too took the wooden spoon after a courageous effort. Despite all the late and chaotic preparations, Lisa McDonald’s crew defied the odds to complete the course, battling with the worse of the elements and the sharp end of lady luck’s cruel wit.

Dalton finished his sixth round the world race with a pineapple stuffed down the back of his trousers…. spikes an’ all.

The girls loved it.