Estaugh takes lead again

Defending title holder Richard Estaugh with crew Simon Potts goes into the final race of the Heineken GP14 World Championship today in the overall lead once again. The penultimate race yesterday was sailed in close to gale-force winds at times, leading to a change in the leaderboard. Irish boats also revelled in the conditions and have moved up the fleet.

Estaugh had gone into race six in fourth place and 12 points adrift of the overall lead, held by Neil Marsden and Derrick Hill. But the roller-coaster rides on the reaching legs saw numerous capsizes among the 143-boat fleet and

Marsden came a cropper at the gybe mark while holding pace in the lead group and paid the price by finishing 19th.

Marsden and Hill dropped to second overall and a small but crucial gulf of just under five points now separates first and second places going into today's final.

Pre-event Irish favourites Hugh Gill and Stephen Boyle delighted in the heavy conditions that they have been longing for. A third place in yesterday's race did not tell of the close duel with Matthew Flint and Chris Jobson for first place - an incident at the final weather mark saw the Irish crew take a penalty turn that allowed Estaugh into their place.

Gill and Boyle have moved into 13th overall and within an eight-point grasp of the top 10 for the final.