“Congratulations to Brian Thompson and his crew on Doha 2006 for winning the Oryx Quest Round the World Race,” says Tony Bullimore aboard the second placed British entry Daedalus. “They have done a great job.”

Bullimore and his boys on the smaller and much older Daedalus continue to eat up the miles in second place. A month ago, the venerable Daedalus, built in 1981 and a veteran of what will soon be three circumnavigations, was trailing in fourth place, some 3,000 miles behind the leaders. Now the gap has shrunk back to 1,750 miles and, following the structural failures experienced by Geronimo and dismasting of Cheyenne, the Team Bullimore crew are looking to pick up the $300,000 second-placed prize.

“We are not counting our chickens just yet – there is still 1,700 miles to go, but we always believed that this would be a tortoise and hare race,” continued the Bristol based skipper, adding. “We are still very mindful that we have to keep everything together.”