Yachting: Dalton keeps same crew as round-world rivals change tack

By JULIE ASH

Grant Dalton's Amer Sports One are the only unchanged crew in the second-to-last leg of the round-the-world race from La Rochelle to Goteborg.

The move from ocean racing to short-course coastal racing has sparked a flurry of changes as teams battle for their final positions in the Volvo-sponsored race which began in Southampton last September.

The eighth leg, which starts in France tomorrow, is a short 1075-nautical-mile journey expected to take six days.

Although it is short, the leg is by no means easy. Around France and up the English Channel the fleet can expect some of the largest tides in the world.

Going into the leg, illbruck have an eight-point lead over second-placed Assa Abloy on 41 points. Dalton's Amer Sports One are third with 36 points, but will need a good leg to fend off News Corp on 34 and Tyco on 33. Further back, SEB have 26, djuice 23 and Amer Sports Too 10.

Of all the crew changes the most radical move is in Knut Frostad's djuice dragons team where navigator Jean-Yves Bernot, one of France's most famous sailors, has been dropped in favour of Team New Zealand's Erle Williams, who sailed with the team in leg three.

The most controversial change is the return of veteran ocean racer Steve Cotton, who will join Gunnar Krantz's team on SEB in place of fellow New Zealander Gavin Brady.

Cotton walked off News Corp in Miami, hot on the heels of Jeff Scott, also of New Zealand, who left the team in Rio de Janeiro.

Cotton was not keen to expand upon why he left News Corp, but admitted he couldn't continue with the regime and it wasn't doing him any good.

Cotton will join another ex-News Corp crewman, New Zealand's Jon Gundersen, on SEB.

On News Corp, there has been a swap of British Olympic sailors, with Stuart Childerley being replaced by Jeremy Robinson.

Illbruck have made one change to their team, bringing in American navigator Ed Adams.

"I felt we've been weak on some of the shorter legs closer to the land," illbruck skipper John Kostecki said.

Tyco skipper, New Zealand's Kevin Shoebridge, has added seasoned New Zealand navigator Mike Quilter to his team.

"We see the next leg as a really navigation-intensive leg, almost more so than a boat speed leg in a lot of ways because you're dealing with a lot of coastal sailing, a lot of current in the English Channel, a lot of corners and a lot of shipping lanes," Shoebridge said.

Assa Abloy Frenchman Jules Mazar is returning to take over from the Spain's Guillermo Altadill.

On Amer Sports Too Eleanor Hay is off and French sailor Christine Briand on.

After breaking their mast in the last leg, Amer Sport Too have had an intensive few weeks getting the boat to La Rochelle ready for the next leg.

Their goal for this leg, according to skipper Lisa McDonald, is to "raise hell in the fleet."

The final leg of the race from Goteborg to Kiel starts on June 8.

The 250-mile leg is expected to take one day.