Ben Ainslie, helmsman on board the RORC team's Rodman 40, described his experiences during his 20 or so hours at sea. `This was the first, proper, offshore race for me and a fantastic new experience- I really enjoyed it. The conditions were nearly perfect with a gentle but good breeze and clear sky.

`Obviously we had our ups and downs but the point is that we got it right when it really mattered. Just before nightfall, at about 21:00, we moved forward into a joint lead, with the Australians losing a lot of ground. As we sailed through the night, the Spanish team just managed to edge away- they were better at switching gears and their experience at sailing Rodmans proved invaluable through the night, he continued`

Team mate Ian Walker further described the race `We did not have a great race to be honest, we ran into some weed on the first run but it took a long time for us to realise. Then we got stuck in traffic and did not clear the weed until about half way down near Weymouth. The Australians made a good job down the Solent so we had it all to do - they took an unassailable lead really at that stage, only on an offshore race it is never unassailable. They sailed really well until St Catherine's Point and then we got the layline to take joint lead but the Spanish sailed well all race and when it went dark they just killed us. They know they boat really well which helped when they were finding their way in the dark - they did a better job than us and took the winning points as a result.`

In a competitive fleet the big boat in the RORC Team, helmed by Ian Budgen, GBR Challenge xxx, had a difficult race but are confident that there is still a lot to play for in this Regatta. `The race was tough. The team and crew-work was good- we have good people on board with invaluable local tactical knowledge from Jules Salter and David Bedford and Chris Main is a great Tactician.

`We had a fairly good start and a promising first leg gaining on Wild Oates up to the Needles. We then made a few mistakes just before the Needles, which let Aera pass. It was during the long beat along to Brighton that we struggled for boat speed, making tactics harder and despite working really hard through out the night, we didn't manage to make it up again, he explained.

`We are disappointed but there are still a lot of points to play for in this regatta- we are not even half way through on that case. I am confident that the team are still in a strong position, especially due to the Rodman doing well in this Race 5, and that we are still in contention as the results show. Now, I need to get some sleep- tomorrow is a new day and I am looking forward to the racing.`

The CCYC Sailability Team has achieved its main goal, by once again beating boats in both classes. Andy Green talked of the team on board the Sinergia 40looking forward to the rest of the regatta. `The team has come on measurably and we have been competitive which has always been our primary goal- we have beaten someone in every race. I am very encouraged in how it is going. The disabled sailors have all reached a high level and none of them have ever sailed at this level before. Hannah has been very successful in dinghies, but is now relishing in this new challenge.

`We didn't make too many mistakes in the race and seem to be taking it more seriously as the regatta go on. The most important thing is that we are all having a really good time and it is great for disabled sailing. The team is such a diverse group and it just shows what opportunities there are out there for everybody`. He concluded.

Tomorrow the teams will be up early for the RORC Trophy Race, a long inshore race that starts from the Squadron Line at 08:30.

Team Positions as of 15:00 Tuesday 15th July:
Sailability RORC Admirals Cup Team - 3rd overall - 34 points
Chernikeeff 2: (4,3,4,2,10) 23 points
Chernikeeff 4: (3,1,1,2, 4) 11 points

Sailability CCYC Admirals Cup Team - 7th overall - 74 points
Chernikeeff: (7,6,8,5,12) 38 points
Chernikeeff 3: (4,7,7,5,14) 36 points

Source: Virginia Page