On May 6, 2006, a record spectator fleet turned out in Annapolis, Maryland, USA to bid farewell to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet as they headed back down the Chesapeake Bay and out into the teeth of a gale, on the short, sprint leg of 400 miles to New York.

Three thousand, five hundred spectator craft took to the water, while thousands more spectators stood on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to watch Torben Grael sail Brasil 1 out into the lead and Brunel, skippered by Australian Grant Wharington, made a return to the fleet, after undergoing a substantial refit in Australia, bringing the total back up to seven boats.

Short, choppy seas and strong winds challenged the fleet on day two as ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) took up their familiar position at the head of the fleet. Overnight, the breeze quickly increased to 25 knots, with gusts near to 30 knots being reported, making it a wet and while ride northwards. No one had any sleep, and the conditions were beating up the crews. But by 2200 GMT on day two, there was only 75 miles to go to the finish for ABN AMRO ONE.

Sanderson still had not slept, such was his determination to rack up maximum points on this leg. “Somehow it would help make the inshore race in Baltimore, where we came sixth out seven, just that little bit better,” he said. He reported gusts of over 40 knots and the crew shorted sail to three reefs and a number four jib. Even that combination was too much at times. “Driving the boat was just a nightmare,” Sanderson said. “There was icy sleet hitting the bare skin of my face like small, sharp rocks and the boat was getting thrown around like clothes in a washing machine as the waves got bigger and bigger.”

Although the wind dropped overnight, ABN AMRO ONE’s lead was never in doubt as she cruised up the Hudson River, past the Statue of Liberty, to post a win at 0407 local time on May 9, in New York, the city that never sleeps.

The spat for the remaining places heated up, and, as Sanderson steered Black Betty across the finish line, the next four boats were all within two miles of each other. Paul Cayard, the only American skipper in the race, badly wanted his Pirates of the Caribbean team on the podium, and he claimed second place a little over two hours later, moving his team of Pirates up into second position overall.

Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) finished third, followed by Ericsson, with Neal McDonald reinstalled as skipper, and movistar (Bouwe Bekking) a disappointing fifth after a gear breakage.

“It has been a very tough 40 hours,” explained a visibly shattered Paul Cayard. “There was really strong wind off New Jersey and the boat has been really slamming hard. We have had our fair share of problems, but the guys did a great job. Last night was really quite stressful as the wind died all together and the boats were very close and that is where we had a little bit of luck on our side. I can’t recall anything much tougher on this race so far,” he concluded.

Brunel finished in sixth position, with a disappointed team of youngsters on ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) finishing last. “Not good,” said the French skipper. “We want better results, but we were a bit unfortunate,” he said when he reached the dock.

With a pit stop of just two days to rest, recover and enjoy the Big Apple, the fleet set sail again, this time hoping to break the trans-Atlantic record from the Ambrose Light Tower to the Lizard on the south western tip of the UK. Grant Wharington handed over the reins as skipper to Britain’s Matt Humphries and returned to Australia citing health reasons. “I can’t quite identify what it is, I just feel very fatigued,” he said.

On May 11, in front of a spectacular backdrop, with His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden looking on, leg seven of the Volvo Ocean Race got underway.

The light wind start quickly carried the Pirates (Paul Cayard) off towards the Statue of Liberty, with Brunel, Ericsson and Brasil 1 all in hot pursuit. Movistar had stayed behind, Bekking electing to take a two-hour penalty in order to allow his shore crew onboard to repair the damaged winch mechanism.

Smooth seas have been reported earlier today, but the latest weather reports indicate that the wind will continue to increase, reaching 30 knots. Pirates of the Caribbean have already had some problems, this time with their instrument wand at the top of the mast. Justin Clougher climbed the rig several times to fit replacements and he has now succeeded in fitting a reliable wand which is working properly and producing reliable information.

Today at 1600 GMT, movistar (Bouwe Bekking) had lost 20 miles after making an expensive dogleg offshore. Currently the fleet is heading towards Nantucket Island, hoping to avoid tacking to miss the shoal to one side of the island, as movistar has had to do. Once clear of the island, the fleet will tack over onto port and start sailing fast towards the UK in a breeze that is forecast to pick up to 30 knots in the next 12 hours.

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