Goss and Larsen extend lead in Round Britain

by Media on 17 Jun 2006 The super-fast SeaCart 30 trimaran being sailed by Pete Goss and Paul Larsen in the Shetland two-handed Round Britain and Ireland yacht race is proving itself a worthy contender as it helps the pair extend their lead in the gruelling 2000-mile competition.

Pete and Paul sailed ‘Cornwall Playing for Success’ into Castlebay in the Western Isles at 11:15 this morning after 48 hours and more than 440 miles of hard sailing.

The ultra-lightweight construction of the all-carbon yacht has allowed the team to take advantage of light and fickle winds as they tackled the start of the second leg between Kinsale and Castlebay. However, the boat really came into her own as the wind picked up, extending the seven hour gap between the team and their nearest rivals, as Pete explains:

'The tide was with us as we started this leg of the race, but as evening drew in the wind dropped and we had to work the boat hard to get miles under the hull. Having built a seven hour lead, we didn’t want to lose it. We felt like the hare that has been let out of the trap, but with the big dogs chasing close behind. Things improved greatly during the next day as the wind came back and our second night involved some high-octane and exciting sailing, which the SeaCart took in her stride.'

The rest of the fleet have yet to arrive at Castlebay, but latest position reports obtained by race organisers, the Royal Western Yacht Club, have them about one hundred miles behind Cornwall Playing for Success.

Race Control at the Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth received the first message of a retirement at 14:50 BST today.

ChillOut, a Dutch J109 class yacht sailed by Henk Bulthuis and Danny Kronenburg telephoned to confirm their retirement. One day after leaving Kinsale for Barra in the Outer Hebrides, and having experienced fickle light winds for yet another day, the decision was taken to abandon the race. Henk did not report any mishap or damage to the boat, and said that their plan would be to turn for the English Channel again and sail directly to Holland.