May 19, 2006, Portsmouth, England – After sailing 3,200 nautical miles from New York, the yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 are expected to arrive into Portsmouth tomorrow evening.

Dutch entry ABN AMRO ONE, skippered by New Zealander Mike Sanderson, has established an impressive 188 mile lead over the fleet. Local Hampshire sailor Robert Greenhalgh, who is competing onboard the lead boat, will be hoping to be the first Englishman to touch down on home soil.

British skipper Neal McDonald is also racing hard to reach home. Along with team mate and fellow countryman Tim Powell, they are currently placed second overall onboard Ericsson and will be hoping to maintain this position to the finish to score their best leg result.

The lead boat is expected to pass the scoring gate off Lizard Point, the most southerly point of mainland Britain, around first light tomorrow morning. From there the fleet will sail towards Portsmouth, leaving the Needles (the most western point of the Isle of Wight) to starboard as they battle their way up through the heavily tidal and challenging Solent.

The Volvo Open 70 racing yachts are currently completing leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06. The race concludes in Göteborg, Sweden, on the 17 June.

Due to the nature of the events over the last 36 hours, the arrivals of the yachts into Portsmouth will be a relatively low key affair. We politely request that attending media respect the wishes of the competing teams and their families.

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