Sailing: Superior boat speed can put pressure on Swedish Match

The skipper of Merit Cup is hoping for better weather in the Whitbread Round the World Race

WE ARE on the run-in to Florida. It has been hot, unbelievably hot, and we are under pressure again. Unless there is a major change in the weather, which I cannot see on any charts, this leg is over and there will just be a procession into Fort Lauderdale. For the last four days I have not just been praying but genuinely expecting the wind to get lighter, meaning there were places still to be gained and lost. They may not have been wide open, but we sure wanted to win some.

The weather did not play into our hands and complement our strengths. We knew we had enough pace in easier, running conditions and should have been able to grind down at least a couple of the boats ahead of us. It was always unlikely we could catch Lawrie Smith in Silk Cut, where navigator Vincent Geake seems to have done a good job, and overall leader Paul Cayard in EF Language.

But we wanted to get ahead of Swedish Match and Innovation Kvaerner, particularly Swedish Match, who takes our second overall position if she beats us. We could see how anxious they were to achieve this when they came up to cover us on Wednesday and protect their extra points. At that time we thought there could be some fundamental differentials in boat speed that could be to our advantage. The distances between the boats on the water were not that great, and there was still time to grind down those missing miles. But the big breezes continued for what has been an amazingly fast leg.

I don't think we have sailed a particularly clever leg, and a couple of times we have been in the wrong place, so a couple of times we have had to catch up. But I liked our spot on the race track for the end run into Florida and thought those who had been predicting a finish this weekend would find they have been wildly optimistic. As we slow, and we already have, I think it will be Monday night, even Tuesday morning, before we finish.

Not that we won't be glad to swap what we have for the Florida weather. As on most boats, we have been having a lot of trouble with skin infections. These are, mainly, caused by sweating. But the incredible heat and humidity have been, I think, worse than on any other Whitbread. It is even worse when you are trying to sleep in a bunk that is trying to turn itself into a miniature swimming pool of your own sweat.

The only other medical problem continues to be my slowly mending broken collar- bone. It is a major irritation not to be able to do more work than I do around the boat. I am constantly on painkillers, which allows me to do some things, though not steering, so I am not a passenger. Still, I am well below par. I think it is coming right, and we will take another look at it once ashore. There should be no problem by the time we start for Baltimore in a month's time.

Our real battle now is with Swedish Match and a Chessie Racing that will be looking for big result on the next leg into their home town. We are starting to get to the business end of the Whitbread now, when the final silverware is allocated. Paul Cayard may be establishing a stranglehold on the Volvo Trophy. We, at least, want the colour of ours to be silver, too.