Sailing: Third US challenger in Whitbread

As high winds knocked out the opening day of the second Frontera Grand Prix for Ultra 30s in Guernsey the amalgamation of two American west coast syndicates appeared to have secured a third US Whitbread entry for the Round the World Race starting in September, writes Stuart Alexander.

Lawrie Smith, skipper of Britain's Silk Cut in the Whitbread, now knows that the winner in the W60 class last time, Ross Field, will be back to defend his title, this time on Neil Barth's America's Challenge.

Tracy Edwards still hopes to be the fastest woman across the Atlantic but any hope of beating the six days, 13 hours and three minutes set by Frenchman Serge Madec in 1990 appears to have faded yesterday. After five days she has more than 1100 miles to go.

Edwards must beat the eight days set by France's Florence Arthaud to claim her own title.