Volvo fleet back in the open ocean
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Updated: 2002-04-30 09:30

The eight-strong Volvo Ocean Race fleet moved back into the Atlantic in the early hours of Monday after a relatively trouble-free passage out of Chesapeake Bay.

The largest estuary in the United States, through which the fleet sailed for more than 12 hours after the start of the seventh leg from Annapolis on Sunday, had been expected to provide strong headwinds, along with shallow waters and numerous navigational hazards.

"We were expecting all sorts of agro but never got it," said Neal McDonald, skipper of Swedish challengers Assa Abloy, the main rivals to overall race leaders illbruck.

It was not quite so smooth though for McDonald's wife Lisa, skipper of the all-female crewed Amer Sports Too.

"In the evening it was quite difficult because we still had to look out for fish pots and crab pots and quite a bit of shipping and channel marks -- things we're not used to when we're out on the open ocean," she said.

Grant Dalton's Amer Sports One raced into an early lead soon after the start in pouring rain in Annapolis, pulling 15 boat lengths clear after half-an-hour's sailing.

They were first out of Chesapeake Bay at 0636 GMT, followed by illbruck and Assa Abloy neck and neck four minutes later. The seventh leg of sailing's nine-month-long round-the-world marathon takes the fleet across the Atlantic on a 3,400-nautical mile haul to La Rochelle in France.

By 1600 GMT on Monday, John Kostecki's illbruck had moved into a two-mile lead over Assa Abloy with News Corp and Tyco a further two miles back.

Amer Sports One, who have taken up the most southerly position of the fleet, had dropped down to fifth, followed by SEB and djuice with Amer Sports Too once again bringing up the rear.

The fleet has fanned out in search of the quickest way into the favourable Gulf Stream, which will give the yachts an extra boost towards Europe.

This leg has seen the introduction of a prohibited area by the Race Committee in a bid to keep the fleet away from hazardous icebergs in the North Atlantic and the shortest route to La Rochelle has now been removed.

The first boats are expected to cross the finishing line in La Rochelle on May 11.

The fleet then heads for Gothenburg in Sweden before the race finishes in Kiel, Germany, in early June.