Sporting Digest: Sailing

LIGHTER breezes have seen Grant Dalton in the maxi, NZ Endeavour, slightly stretch his lead in the first leg of the Whitbread Round the World Race with Switzerland's Pierre Fehlmann, his nearest maxi rival, moving up to third. Daniel Malle, of France, in the third maxi, La Poste, with a twisted mizzen mast, has dropped back to eighth. Lawrie Smith's retired Spanish maxi, Fortuna, is expected back at Southampton today.

WHITBREAD ROUND THE WORLD RACE First leg (Southampton to Punta del Este, Par) Positions (with miles to finish): 1 NZ Endeavour 4,012; 2 Tokio 4,030; 3 Merit Cup 4,046; 4 Galicia '93 Pescanova 4,050; 5= Intrum Justitia, Winston 4,058; 7 Yamaha 4,060; 8 La Poste 4,101; 9 Dolphin & Youth 4,148; 10 Hetman Sahaidachny 4,214; 11 Brooksfield 4,300; 12 US Women's Challenge 4,280; 13 Uruguay Natural 4,306; 14 Odessa 5,742. (Estimated by BT Results Service).