Basilica pull ahead

Rob Greenhalgh's team hold a 12 point lead over the Bundock-steered BT going into the final day of the iShares Cup at Cowes

Following six races in 8-12 knots of wind and a punching tide, Basilica remain in pole position at the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week, boasting a healthy lead over the eight boat Extreme 40 fleet at the close of day two of racing. Day two saw several boats shine with Shirley Robertson's JPMorgan Asset Management slipping into the top three and Nick Moloney's BT getting comfortable in second overall. With podium positions still up for grabs and a double points race lurking on the horizon, there is still all to play for tomorrow in the final day of racing in the penultimate iShares Cup Extreme 40 sailing series event.

With a healthy 98 points overall, British team Basilica remain the team to beat at this event, and ultimately in the overall series, but while still on winning form and taking four of the six races today Rob Greenhalgh, Pete Greenhalgh, James Grant and Justin Slattery were feeling the heat from the other boats on the course.

"We had lighter winds today and that gives the rest of the fleet a chance to line up on the starts which are so important in this short course racing," bowman, Slattery explained. "We had two off the mark finishes today, in one race we got locked out at the start with nowhere to go but we were able to crawl back into the race. The last race was by far the highlight for us. Racing off The Green, in front of a crowd, with tricky tides, with plenty on was a challenge but we like the hard work and are comfortable throwing the boat around the track."

BT sailed another consistent day and hold onto second overall at the close of day two with 84 points in their pocket. With Tornado sailors Darren Bundock and Glen Ashby on board, Nick Moloney had stepped back from the helm letting Bundock steer for the three day event. However, the team will have to fend off Shirley Robertson's JPMorgan Asset Management who have crept up the rankings and are knocking on the door for second overall on the podium. The BT team, which also includes British Tornado sailor Hugh Styles, is looking forward to the final day of competition where they hope to keep their current hold on the fleet.

"We came into this event aiming to be consistent and to have a podium finish so to be second overall is great for us," Moloney explained. "Tomorrow we'll aim to hold on to the second place and maintain our lead over Shirley and her boat. We'll be keeping an eye on her and try to keep from letting her do her own thing. Several times today we thought we'd tucked her away only for her to sneak up on us later in the race. We'll be keeping her in our sights."

With little time as a team on the water, double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson helming JPMorgan Asset Management has made her mark on the fleet winning a race and taking two seconds over the course of the day. Her team of Fraser Brown, David Carr and Nick Hutton have been working hard on board to make sure Robertson has every chance of success in this event and have succeeded in scoring 82 points, only two points off second place. "We had a good and a bad day," Robertson reflected. "The bad? Well I'm still making errors. The lads have been great they have trained me up a bit and they have good team spirit but it's frustrating to know that we could have done better. The good? Being new to the class I didn't expect to be in contention at this event so knowing that we could podium tomorrow and possibly finish second overall is great." David Carr, also sailing on JPMorgan Asset Management agrees: "We'll be in the hunt tomorrow, the fleet better watch out!"





Also on the hunt will be Kiwi team Volvo Ocean Race who are also appearing here in Cowes for the first time on the circuit and are pleased with their results so far. "We have a new team and it takes more than a couple of days to get to grips with the boat but from the start we had a sneaky suspicion that we'd pick it up quite quickly," Skipper Aaron McIntosh said. "Today we had good starts, solid teamwork and communication. In these boats on these short courses you need a good start and a good first beat to get to the top mark. If you make any mistake or suffer any gear failure you are severely punished. We came here to do some sailing and have fun. Tomorrow we're going to go out and continue to have fun. When you're enjoying the sailing good things seem to happen for the right reasons, that's our strategy!" Volvo Ocean Race currently hold 75 points in fourth place tonight.

The additional four teams had a day of mixed fortunes with Carolijn Brouwer skippering Holmatro to an excellent three second place finishes. But it was just not enough to hoist the boat into the top rankings.

Tomorrow is the final day of the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week, although spectators will get the opportunity to view these boats close-up off The Green next Tuesday through to Thursday from 5.30pm to 7.00pm,

Also tomorrow, Level 42 lead singer and bass player, Mark King, will be onboard JPMorgan Asset Management for a full day of racing.

Current iShares Cup Standing/ Team Name / Crew / Overall Points*
1. Basilica Rob Greenhalgh, Pete Greenhalgh, James Grant, Justin Slattery 98 pts
2. BT Nick Moloney, Darren Bundock, Glen Ashby, Hugh Styles 84 pts
3. JPMorgan Asset Management Shirley Robertson, David Carr, Fraser Brown, Nick Hutton 82 pts
4. Volvo Ocean Race Aaron McIntosh, Mark Kennedy, Ryan Houston, Andrew McLean 75 pts
5. Tommy Hilfiger Stan Schreyer, Jonathon Farrar, Mark van Gelderen, Richard Feeney 73 pts
6. Holmatro Carolijn Brouwer, Sebbe Goddefroid, Greg Homann, Aren van Bergeijk 67 pts
7. Team SLAM Denmark Erik Pedersen, Michael Svensson, Lars Orun Nielsen, Peter Baeksted, Henrik Boje 54 pts
8. ABN AMRO Jonnie Hutchcroft, Sam Chaddar, Joffan Garcka, Adam Piggott 40 pts
*Standings as of 4 August 2007