US take Admiral's Cup prize

The United States has won the Admiral's Cup after the Italians had dominated the Fastnet Race for 99 per cent of the time. The switch round came within five miles of the finishing line at Plymouth when, in the lightest of fickle breezes, John Kolius and the crew of the ILC-40, MK Cafe, skirted the `parking lot' of boats in their class and went from sixth to second, while, at the same time, Italy's Brava Q8 went from first to sixth. The 36-point reversal was more than the Italians could stand and they dropped to third behind Germany. Once again, the Fastnet race has determined the outcome of the Admiral's Cup, not simply because of the performance of the boats and crews, but also because of its characteristic ability to hand out every type of weather condition.