The old campaigner

Grant Dalton talks about Amer One's progress and clears up a few rumours about the girls

Onto the topic of Amer Sport Too and Dalts vehemently denies the rumour that the plug is going to be pulled on Lisa McDonald's campaign unless Nautor Challenges can come up with some more funds. "That's absolutely incorrect. I had heard that. **** knows where that came from. It's just scurrilous rumours. There is absolutely no **** way that the plug is going to get pulled on the girls. The campaign funds are fine. There's only me that can pull it and I'm not pulling it".

Dalts says the girls had a tough time on the way up to Miami. "They were having a bloody good leg. This was always the leg they were going to do well because it is tramlines and you don't have to bludgeon these boats. And it's gone pear shaped on them."

At one point during the leg there was a worldwide round of applause for Lisa McDonald's team when they got ahead of Amer Sports One. This was as much due to a desire to see the girls finally get a decent result in the Volvo Ocean Race as it was because of a quote Dalts is said to have made during the last race. "I was misquoted," he laughs. "I was quoted as saying that if the chicks beat me I'd take my clothes off and run up Queen Street (the main high street in Auckland) naked. That's a complete misquote. What I actually said was that if the chicks beat me I'd PUT A PINEAPPLE UP MY ARSE and run up Queen Street naked. I was really pissed off I was misquoted! But I'm a long way from a pineapple yet." If ever there was an incentive for Lisa McDonald's team then this must be it and importantly Dalts does not deny this challenge is still valid.

Tomorrow Dalts talks about what he think should be done with the Volvo Ocean Race and what his plans are post June...