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Following their fifth place on handicap in the opening leg from Torquay to Crosshaven, in which they also took line honours, Thomas and Griffiths now lead the event.

James YALLOW and Gary HEWARD sailing Dreamer, a Starlight 35, currently hold second place, having taken third place on the opening leg, and fifth on the just completed leg to Treguier.

The winners of the Torquay to Crosshaven leg, husband and wife team Rupert and Kathy SMALLEY, sailing the smallest boat in the fleet, The Flying Fish, dropped to tenth on this leg, but hold third place in the event.

There was little doubt from the start in Crosshaven on Saturday afternoon that this would be a big boat leg, with the initial stretch from the Irish coast to the Bishop Rock, hard on into 35 knots of breeze and big seas.

The larger boats soon powered away, and were able to work their way through the big waves more effectively, to be in a strong position when they bore away around the Bishop Rock, and raised spinnakers.

The strong tides of the English Channel also played a big part in the tactics of the leg, and in particular helped Jalfrezi gain valuable separation from her nearest rivals close to the finish.

Kathy SMALLEY commented that you couldn't escape from the tide, but that it was much stronger along the French coast, which is also strewn with rocks and small islands.

She said one of the critical decisions was when to head in towards the finish from mid Channel, because good use of the tide could either drag you towards it, or sweep you away.

There were many stories amongst the competitors of spending hours within sight of the finish, but struggling against the tide in light winds.

The final leg of the race, the 110 nautical mile dash from Treguier back to Torquay in England, starts on Thursday.