News Corp take emergency action

Fate took its toll of another yacht in the Volvo Ocean Race, as News Corp became the third to suffer rudder failure, while another loss by the British team in the America's Cup warm-up regatta again seemed more due to tactical decisions rather than an increasingly fickle track.

News Corp, skippered by Britain's Jez Fanstone, had to take emergency action when their rudder snapped off about 1,200 nautical miles from the finish of the fourth leg of the race from Auckland to Rio de Janeiro.

Although the yacht careered out of control and the spinnaker was ripped to shreds as it was flattened on its side, the crew made a remarkable recovery. The emergency rudder was fitted and the yacht continued racing.

On the Hauraki Gulf, a rotated afterguard on the GBR Challenge America's Cup syndicate saw helmsman Andy Green again win the start of their race against the Swedish Victory Challenge in the America's Cup warm-up series.

A penalty on the first leg helped them established a comfortable lead but, preferring to sail down the opposite side of the track, the Swedes picked up a more favourable vein of wind and the British fell more than four and half minutes behind.