The second leg of the Around Alone race will start today at 1200 following yesterday’s posponement due to bad weather. The wind has abated overnight and the forecast is for a west-nor’westerly Force 4.

Preparing for the Torbay to Cape Town, South Africa, leg, Graham Dalton, skipper of the HSBC-sponsored ‘Hexagon’, said: “After all the build-up, it was disappointing that we couldn’t start yesterday, especially for all the spectators that we were expecting as part of the education programme. But, as sailors, we have to cope with schedule changes and, in the interests of safety, it made sense to delay the start. Along with the other skippers, I can’t wait to set sail and embark on what promises to be a very interesting leg.”