May 9, 2006: Mike Sanderson and his crew sailed into New York Harbor this morning at 4:07 a.m. local time (8:07 GMT) to take first place and maximum points in the 6th Leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Sanderson, who led the fleet from Chesapeake Bay entrance, finished 23 miles ahead of nearest rival. The win will stretch Sanderson’s points at the top of the leader board to 70.5 points.

The result will be a relief for the crew of ABN AMRO ONE who struggled in the light winds of the Annapolis in port race when they finished in last place. Fears that the boats would suffer similar conditions during the leg to New York were soon put to one side once the boats were out in the Atlantic and wind speeds reached over 40 knots at times. Mike and the crew put in a strong performance in this short sprint leg from Annapolis, although during the heavy conditions in the Atlantic, Brad Jackson (NZL) took a fall and was confined to his bunk for some of the leg. However, he is expected to make a full recovery during the New York pit stop and be ready for leg 7 on Thursday.

On arriving into North Cove in the heart of the Manhattan financial district, Mike Sanderson said, “It feels great to be here in first place after the week we’ve had and especially after the result in the Baltimore in-port race. This was a tough leg and Stan and I have hardly slept at all. We have now won 5 out of 6 legs, which is simply a fantastic job by all the boys. We were not expected to do well in this leg and we had to hang on in there.”

Navigator and American crew member Stan Honey said, “It was nail biting coming out of the Chesapeake Bay, but once out in the Atlantic we got the right sail combination and got lucky. The conditions were perfect for our boat. It’s great to be here in New York, and even better to be here in first.”

The crew will use the next few days to rest and catch up on much needed sleep ahead of leg 7 to Portsmouth (UK) which starts on May 11. Meanwhile, Seb Josse and the crew of ABN AMRO TWO are still fighting to close the gap as the fleet races towards the finish line in New York. The kids are currently chasing the pack, lying 26 miles behind Pirates and 10 miles behind Brunel, the closest rival.

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