Joyon and Pattisson just fail to break race record

There was all to play for in the final stages of the Fastnet Race last night as the leading monohulls fought not only each other, but increasingly tricky conditions.

At least the first boat home, the 60-foot trimaran Eure et Loir, had wind all the way round the 608-mile course, albeit, like British Rail leaves, the wrong kind of wind for much of the time. That robbed them of a record performance by two hours.

Yet both Rodney Pattisson and sailing partner Francis Joyon felt that the record was vulnerable and they wanted to be back for another crack at it in 2003.

Behind, Giovanni Agnelli's 92ft Stealth needed to cross the line before 10.08pm to beat the record. However, the softening breeze was against them. The gap between the second and third boats – Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory and Ludde Ingvall's Nicorette, with Shirley Robertson as guest helmsman – was just three miles and there was nothing to choose between the two leading VO60s.

With 100 miles to sail, Jez Fanstone's NewsCorp were level with the Illbruck of John Kostecki, who predicted: "There will be plenty of opportunities in the last few miles."