by the start of the final leg to Portsmouth was the French boat Charles Heidsieck III, skippered by Alain Gabbay. Van Rietschoten needed to cross the Solent finish line a whopping 92 hours ahead of Charles Heidsieck III, which looked unlikely unless the French boat came a cropper during the 5,970-mile passage. But the Dutchman was a tough competitor -- his list of boat rules included a strict ban on complaints over food -- and soon he was employing tactics to unsettle his opponents. It became harder to find out where the boats were since he refused to reveal his position in case it conceded any advantage, a tactic duly adopted by other skippers. It was only a week before the end of the leg that the situation became clear. Flyer was 260 miles from the Azores and Charles Heidsieck III was 300 miles astern, three hours ahead on handicap. Of the original 29 starters, only 24 were still in contention during the final leg and there were to be more casualties. Les Williams in FCF Challenger lost a mast -- the 10th dismasting of the race -- and Claudio Stampi's boffins on La Barca Laboratorio were forced to pump after their keel bolts started to fall out. It was at the Azores that the winners and losers were determined and as ever, it was the weather that had a lot to do with it. The two leading boats, Flyer and Ceramco, made it through before the light airs struck