Sailing: No time to rest for Bouscholte

It is bad enough being last again, but even worse for the skipper, Hans Bouscholte, and the crew of Brunel Sunergy is the knowledge that there are only 14 days before they have to set off again.

Ninth out of nine is not something to celebrate, especially as the second- leg winner, Swedish Match, had been tucked up in harbour for four days when the 35-year-old Bouscholte brought his Dutch boat into Fremantle after 19 days and 11 hours at sea on the notorious Southern Ocean.

With only a small support team to help, Bouscholte will have to make use of every minute in port to make his boat ready for the third, 2,250 leg to Sydney which starts on 13 December.

"It is hard to bear sometimes when you don't have time to rest, no sightseeing, no holidays, even no time to visit some of the most beautiful places in the world," said Bouscholte, who was also last on the first leg from Southampton to Cape Town.

He finished 13.4 miles behind the all-woman crew of EF Education, skippered by Christine Guillou. Only 90 minutes separated the boats after 4,600 miles of racing and the girls kept pushing right to the end, hoisting their spinnaker as they entered the harbour. Earlier, as they approached the Fairway buoy, the sunrise began to break through and a great orange sun lit up the sky.

WHITBREAD ROUND THE WORLD RACE (second leg, 4,600 miles, Cape Town to Fremantle): 1 Swedish Match (Swe) G Krantz 15 days 03hr 45min 03sec; 2 Innovation Kvaerner (Nor) K Frostad 15:22:02:35; 3 Toshiba (US) P Standbridge 16:05:27:12; 4 Silk Cut (GB) L Smith 16:15:05:09; 5 EF Language (Swe) P Cayard 16:20:07:25; 6 Chessie Racing (US) M Fischer 17:11:51:47; 7 Merit Cup (Monaco) G Dalton 19:02:37:47; 8 EF Education (Swe) C Guillou 19:10:15:32; 9 Brunel Sunergy (Neth) H Bouscholte 19:11:24:39. Best 24hr run: Silk Cut, 449.4 miles. Standings: 1 Innovation Kvaerner 207pts; 2 EF Language 197; 3 Silk Cut 168; 4 Swedish Match 161; 5 Merit Cup 158; 6 Toshiba 157; 7 Chessie Racing 132; 8 EF Language 60; 9 Brunel Sunergy 36.