Where it all went wrong

Ed Gorman looks at the plight of the seven boats which have not made the grade in the Volvo Ocean Race

Tyco is the real bad luck story of the fleet, though you could argue they only have themselves to blame for going their own way on the build of the rudder. This crew has a strong Silk Cut contingent but it could hardly be more different than that British syndicate in its application and modesty. Had they not retired from leg two, Shoeby's team would certainly be giving Assa a run for its money, though speed deficiencies in particularly hard reaching conditions make it unlikely that Tyco could have beaten Illbruck. Two black clouds on leg six when they parked up - bad luck or bad judgement? - have left them struggling for the podium.

News Corp started brightly and was second overall by Sydney. But it's been downhill almost all the way since then, a trend helped by rudder failure on leg four and not lastingly reversed by a leg win into Baltimore. No one tipped News Corp to win overall and the early assessments have been born out. The syndicate lacks sophistication and has suffered from not having enough management over and above - and alongside - Ross Field whose sailing business with Jez Fanstone runs the show. The skipper/navigator role has been confused and the syndicate has struggled for crew, losing important people at various stages and picking up - albeit talented - replacements along the way. But this is not how you win a race of this kind. News Corp was always likely to be an also-ran and so it has proved, though she may yet sneak onto the podium.

In the case of Amer Sports One, it's all about the time-on-the-water. Finishing at least third or fourth was always on the cards because teams that are behind at the start never catch the class acts because the class acts are not standing still themselves. Dalts has gone from one extreme to the other - a thorough preparation on Club Med - to a rushed job on Amer One. Over the last seven months he has come up with every excuse in the book as to why they have been fast or slow at various times. There is a question mark over the Mani Frers design in some conditions but you'd expect that in a first crack at the class, even from a designer of Frers's quality. But there are question marks over the crew too - Dalts himself has looked pretty tired after a rigorous couple of years - and over some of the steps in sail development which Dalts admits may have been U-turns on the road to speed.

Assa Abloy is possibly the biggest missed opportunity. She could yet win but it does not look very likely. There is little wrong with this happy campaign now, but critically, a couple of pieces of the jigsaw didn't quite fit at the beginning and Assa has shouldered the consequences ever since. The boat is fast, the crew work has been criticised, but the management is good and Neal McDonald has grown into the skipper's role and is starting to enjoy himself. However, for a team with a core group of strong-minded individuals, Roy Heiner's bossy style was the wrong choice as skipper and his relationship with navigator Mark Rudiger - once the co-skipper on Assa - was disastrous. They went wrong on leg one and then Rudi gambled on leg two. Result: fifth overall by Sydney. Things have improved ever since but when you are up against a virtually mistake-free syndicate like Illbruck, these errors are costly.