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Fort Lauderdale had been added to the course in an attempt by organisers to raise the race’s profile in America. The reality for the crews was a series of long, slow and unbearably hot days, though there were plenty of tales of tomfoolery from the Punta stopover to keep spirits high, at least until the Doldrums had been and gone.

Smith led for much of the 5,475 nm leg and for once, he seemed to be enjoying a dose of good fortune. But his lead evaporated in a blink of an eye when an unusual weather system gave boats to the west of Rothmans a surge of speed, the two Kiwi boats included. For the rest of the leg, it was a two man show with Blake making it five in five with a 34 minute win over Dalton. His reward was a four foot six inch burger specially prepared by a local restaurant which kept the Steinlager 2 crew busy for the four hours until Smith joined them on the quayside.

A navigational error on Maiden saw them fall behind Rucanor and L’Esprit and although they achieved a disappointing fourth place, the boat’s arrival in Fort Lauderdale was the most conspicuous one of all time. Making the most of their fifth leg tropical tans, they donned their swimming costumes and gathered up on deck. The crowd went mad.