Slade triumphs with Fastnet record

LONDON, England -- British skipper Mike Slade and his crew have completed this year's Fastnet Race in record time.

His 30-meter yacht Leopard crossed the line after finishing the 608-mile course from the Isle of Wight around the Fastnet Rock off Ireland and back to Plymouth in just 44 hours and 18 minutes.

Slade and his 26 crew took eight hours and 50 minutes off the previous record dating back to 1999.

The leaders were due back tomorrow but strong winds propelled the multi-hull yacht to success.

For most other yachts the gale force winds and huge seas have caused havoc and about two thirds of the competitors have retired.

A race spokeswoman said 186 out of the 271 that started on Monday at Cowes are now back in port or heading for shelter. Most are at ports along the south west coast waiting for conditions to improve before they can head home.

The bi-annual race was delayed for a day on Sunday because of a forecast for 50 knot winds in the channel.

It finally got under way on Monday but two nights of at least 38 knot winds and short, steep seas close inshore have taken their toll on the fleet.

The weather conditions echoed those of the tragic 1979 race which cost the lives of 15 sailors and saw dozens of boats damaged.

A notable retirement from the race was record-breaking yachtswoman Dee Caffari, who has suffered damage to the bottom of her mainsail onboard her 60ft boat Aviva, and was unable to fix it in the tough weather.

Caffari, who became the first woman to sail non-stop and single handed around the world against the winds and currents last year, had Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent on board, along with veteran sailor Mike Broughton. E-mail to a friend