With winds of 6-7 knots, the fleet had a westerly spinnaker start heading out towards the Needles for the first Offshore race of the Admirals Cup 2003. The IRC boats all gathered at the Committee Boat end with the smaller IMS boats favouring the Squadron end. Slow to start, Chernikeeff 2 soon gained on Bear of Britain and Bribon with GBR Challenge navigator Jules Salter's local knowledge proving invaluable in the relatively light winds.

Opting to sail closest to the shore, Ben Ainslie helmed Chernikeeff 4 through the IMS fleet and into a favourable position by the First Mark at the Needles. As the wind dropped, Ainslie was able to take advantage of his upwind position whilst others struggled with light patches, allowing Chernikeeff 4 to take third position.

In a competitive fleet, the CCYC Sailability teams, Chernikeeff 1 and Chernikeeff 3 are holding a good position and started today's race in 6th and 5th position in their respective classes. For some of the disabled crew, this is the first competitive Offshore race outside of Admirals Cup training. Both boats are showing determination and skill and keen to improve on their current 7th position in the Team Results.

This 24 to 36 hour Offshore race is key to the teams as it is worth a valuable two points, double the previous days' scoring system. Following their return on Tuesday, the teams have a short time to prepare for the RORC Trophy Race, a long inshore race, up to 12 hours which starts at 0830 on Wednesday.

Team Positions as of 0900 Monday 14 July:
Sailability RORC Admirals Cup Team - 2rd overall - 20 points
Chernikeeff 2: (4,3,4,2) 13 points
Chernikeeff 4: (3,1,2,2) 8 points

Sailability CCYC Admirals Cup Team - 7th overall - 48 points
Chernikeeff: (7,6,8,5) 26 points
Chernikeeff 3: (4,7,7,5) 23 points

Source: Virginia Page