LA GENERALI MEDITERRANEE 14-28 JUNE 2003
RACE 7 : INSHORE ROUND ISLAND OF PORQUEROLLES
DISTANCE : 15 MILES
CONDITIONS : Start knots 16 knot seabreeze ESE / decreasing to 8 knots in second part of first 5 mile beat

DAVIES FINISHES IN 27TH TODAY HOLDS 6TH-PLACED ROOKIE

IN BRIEF:

* SKANDIA finish in 27th place in today's inshore race round the island of Porquerolles...

* No changes in the top 10 leaderboard since last Friday...Gildas Morvan finished 7th today but his overall lead is now only a tenuous 2 points ahead of Erwan Tabarly (Thales) who won today's race off Hyeres.

* See Sam's comments below on how the "rookie" competition is shaping up... Davies currently holds 6th placed rookie out of 11.

* Tomorrow two more inshore races off Hyeres: "Will be up early to practice starts - improving starts and upwind legs will be my objective in the final few races we have left..."

SAM ON TODAY'S RACE:

"It was a race around Porquerolles about 15 miles. Did not have a particularly good start so fighting from behind. First beat was good but on the next beat the pilot did not seem to be set up right for tacking...really slow through the tacks and the beat was too short to change it. We started in 16 knots of sea breeze and I was trying out the boat set up for moderate to windy conditions. Upwind was good but then the wind really decreased down to 8 knots in the second part of the beat to had to re-think set up. Learning what to change first - backstay, twist, etc - I know in my head what to do but when you're racing it its harder. It was hard to get past anyone today as after the beat it was a procession downwind, gybe round the corner, drop the spinnaker, short reach, spinnaker up then another reach."

SAM ON THE ROOKIE COMPETITION:

"The rookies in this event are good... Christopher Pratt is particularly good, only 22 and a really good sailor, he will go places. But he doesn't have the funding right now to do the Solitaire. Franck-Yves Escoffier has done so much solo sailing - he's very good and very experienced - he will be the one to beat if anyone out of all the rookies. The others I think are beatable... I beat Yves Le Blevec in the Mini Transat. Christophe Artaud is a bit unpredictable - he doesn't really sail conservatively and is a bit erractic which will count against him in the Solitaire. Marc Emig - I have been near him in most of the races. The hard one is Escoffier, especially for the Solitaire as he had done loads of long-distance solo racing.

"When I am racing here I don't have objectives to beat a particular person as I just want to sail my race, so I try not to be affected by the standings. I am quite happy with my overall performance so far, normally I gain places rather than lose them. So I keep my objectives focussed - tomorrow it is to get a good start...step by step you make improvements."

PERFORMANCE PARTNER OF THE DAY: RENAULT
Official vehicle supplier to the Offshore Challenges Sailing team http://www.offshorechallenges.com/renault

RESULTS - RACE 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 - 23 JUNE:
(Skipper/boat name/race result/overall position/total points)
NB: double points scored for offshore legs

Gildas Morvan / CERCLE VERT / 3-3-2-4-8-2-7 / 1st overall (33 points) Erwan Tabarly / THALES / 8-8-3-2-6-1-1 / 2nd overall (35 points) Armel Le Cleac'h / CREALINE / 1-1-11-6-1-4-2 / 3rd overall (41 points) Eric Drouglazet / DAVID OLIVER / 4-4-1-1-2-15-4 / 4th overall (47 points) Jérémie Beyou / DELTA DORE / 2-5-8-3-3-8-3 / 5th overall (52 points) Laurent Pellecuer / AON / 17-2-6-7-15-3-8 / 6th overall (67 points) Gilles Chiorri / METEO CONSULT GROUPE / 14-9-9-9-9-5-5 / 7th overall (74 points) Charles Caudrelier Benac / BOSTIK FINDLEY / 11-18-18-5-5-6-6 8th overall (93 points) Sébastien Audigane / E LECLERC / 12-6-5-10-7-21-9 / 9th overall (96 points) Yann Elies / GROUPE GENERALI ASSURANCES / 5-7-22-8-4-14-10 / 10th overall (106 points) Samantha Davies* / SKANDIA / 20-27-30-23-24-13-27 / 25th overall (208 points)

* Newcomer to event or in French "Bizuth" ie rookie

ROOKIE STANDINGS:
Christophe Artaud / PETITS-PETONS (145 points)
Franck-Yves Escoffier / CREPES WHAOU! (150 points)
Christopher Pratt / CAFE MALONGO (155 points)
Yves Le Blevec / REVE DE GRAND - ACTUAL INTERIM (156 points) Marc Emig / IN EXTREMIS (161 points) Samantha Davies / SKANDIA (208 points) Christophe Bouvet / SOR TMC (212 points) Stéphane Sevaux / PLUS PHARMACIE (237 points) Corrado Agusta / SECTOR SPORT WATCHES (247 points) Eric Pilat / ALTAVENTURE/SNSM (249 points) Sander Bakker / STERN GROEP (258 points)

For further information on La Générali Médierranée please visit http://www.generalimed.com