The team was now finding its rhythm and becoming the dominant force, but still making no impact on the overall leader board, having failed to complete the opening leg.The frustrated team owner and throttleman, Hannes Bohinc, one of the most distinguished racers in the event would, later reflect; “Our chances effectively ended on Day 1 when water flooded our engines.  We then dominated the race with five top-three finishes including a hat-trick of consecutive wins.

That may have demonstrated the boat’s potential but such events are never about just being the fastest boat, reliability is an essential ingredient along with a sprinkling of good fortune.”

An intriguing two-way battle for the overall lead was developing with Lionhead leading Blue FPT by just 13 minutes 12 seconds after almost 500 miles of racing. Edinburgh to Newcastle, Day 7, would be the shortest leg at 115 nautical miles and the defining stage.There would be no Greek tragedy as Blue FPT arrived in Newcastle in third place, the Norwegians suffering a sterndrive failure after just 10 minutes of racing and, with it, their chances of winning as Lionhead navigator, James Sydenham, explained; “It was a great disappointment. Instead of a thirteen minute lead we’re now 60 minutes behind with only 500 miles to go.”  With fellow crew members, Pal and Henrik Sollie, it was a bitter blow for the team and its Goldfish RIB which had started to look a formidable package.

Meanwhile, Wettpunkt.com completed a hat-trick of consecutive wins at an impressive average speed of