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There was plenty of dancing and carousing in Rio but eventually it all had to stop and the crews once more had to prepare for the final push, a relatively short 5,500 nm hike across the Atlantic. The crew changes had been widespread as incompatibilities became irresolvable though Clare Francis was unique in holding onto the same personnel all the way round the world.

In the early stages of the last leg, the heat proved a severe test and on Heath’s Condor – them again – there was a major ‘oeuf’ crisis. Eggs bought in Rio were found to be infested with maggots and skipper Knox-Johnston ordered an immediate fumigation, which was duly launched with a match being applied to the polystyrene egg boxes in the after cabin, without much consideration for the crew’s effects and bedding which were left blackened and reeking of barbecued resin.

Bad eggs apart, the final leg proved uneventful though the competition remained fierce as crews pulled out all the stops to maintain or improve their rankings.

“Life on board is very pleasant though a little dull,” reported Gerard Dijkstra on Flyer, which was so far ahead of the rest of the fleet on handicap, that a risk-free strategy prevailed throughout the passage.

It was only when the fleet arrived in the English Channel that the conditions suddenly changed. The seas became steep and an angry storm, varying between Force nine and ten, swept through the front-runners with an alarming brutality.

It was Flyer, lying in fifth place on the leg, that came off worse and suffered a uncontrolled gybe, the spinnaker being blown to pieces. Cornelius van Rietschoten was helming and recovered quickly to get back on track until they were struck by another 55-knot squall which pushed them sideways towards the shore. Witnessed by thousands of well-wishers who had turned out in a flotilla of yachts, the eleventh hour action proved dramatic as Flyer headed for the rocks, with just 200 yards to go to the finish. Remarkably, a flurry of sail changes saw the boat veer away from danger and hurtle close-hauled over the line to give the Flying Dutchman an emphatic 58 hour victory on handicap.