THE mobile telephone company magnate, Charles Dunstone, and his star-studded cast of Nokia Connecting People, a 76ft maxi sled, looked sure to be overall winners of the Fastnet Race yesterday after a further day of light winds meant time had run out for some of the smaller boats to catch them on handicap.
For Dunstone and his crew, the classic 608-mile passage to the lonely rock lighthouse off Ireland's southern tip, proved relatively free of the frustrations which affected the two bigger, quicker boats which finished ahead of them. Late on Sunday afternoon in a fading breeze they passed through a critical tidal gate at Portland Bill, escaping just as the tide turned to hold the chasing pack at bay for six hours.
''It was sweet,'' said David Bedford, Dunstone's helm and captain, who lead a team which included Neal and Lisa McDonald. ''We had some luck but we have an excellent crew and they worked very hard.
''When we came around the Rock, navigator Jules Salter made a call to go to the east, away from a high pressure zone, and we carried it all the way.''
Results, Digest, P36
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