Sailing: Kostecki set for cruise to victory

A determined John Kostecki faces the juicy prospect of being able to wrap up the Volvo Ocean Race in the next two weeks. The American's German-flagged illbruck has won half of the six legs so far and enjoys a seven-point cushion on the overall leader board. He has left some very good campaigners with only the silver and bronze places to fight over.

Arctic ice is exercising the minds of the skippers and navigators of the eight yachts in the race. As they prepared to set off from Annapolis, Maryland, tomorrow for the seventh, 14-day leg of the round the world race, across the Atlantic to La Rochelle, organisers were fixing a course that would avoid most of the dangers presented by rogue bergs and growlers which have migrated further south than they should.

This may reduce some of the tactical options as the yachts head north on the Gulf Stream on the Great Circle Route, to pick up the strong breezes sent out from Newfoundland across the Atlantic to northern Europe. Before they even have to contend with that, however, they have to make their way back down the Chesapeake Bay. Any hint of headwinds could split the fleet in the first 120 miles.

There have been fewer crew changes for this leg, but the reshuffle continues on News Corp. The co-skipper Ross Field looked less than overjoyed when Jez Fanstone notched up the yacht's first leg win from Miami, which coincided with Field's departure from the crew. His son Campbell takes over his navigating duties, and Britain's Stuart Childerley is also back.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Overall positions after six legs: 1 illbruck (J Kostecki) 41 pts; 2 Assa Abloy (N McDonald) 34; 3 Amer Sports One (G Dalton) 32; 4 News Corp (J Fanstone) 31; 5 Tyco (K Shoebridge) 27; 6 SEB (G Krantz) 21; 7 djuice (K Frostad) 20; 8 Amer Sports Too (L McDonald) 9.