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U.S. sailor Cayard joins Amer

Cayard dominated the 1997-98 round-the-world race

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Top U.S. sailor Paul Cayard is to join Amer Sports One for the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Nautor Challenges said Cayard would replace U.S. tactician Dee Smith who has returned to the U.S. for an operation on his right shoulder.

Cayard is looking forward to the race. "Leg 4 is the best leg of the race. It has it all... you start in pouring rain, sail through gales, 30 foot waves and ice, and finally finish in extreme heat."

Cayard, as skipper of EF Language, dominated the 1997-98 round-the-world race on his first attempt, winning every leg.

Cayard became available for the race after leaving the America's Cup Oracle team before Christmas.

Cayard is a board member of Nautor's Swan and honorary chairman of the Nautor Challenge.

His name had been linked to the Assa Abloy team when Dutch skipper Roy Heiner was sacked after a disappointing fifth in the first leg. Cayard has strong connections with the Assa team managed by Johan Salen and Richard Brisius who ran his 1997/98 EF campaign.

Amer Sports lies in second place after three legs

An even worse sixth on the second leg left Assa's temporary skipper Neal Macdonald not too secure in his position, but an impressive win on the third leg into Auckland suggests that Assa have overcome their problems.

Amer Sports One skipper Grant Dalton Dalton, second in the 97-98 Whitbread, said: "I chased Paul around the world four years ago and I would rather have him sailing with me than against me."

Smith would have sailed leg four if Cayard had not been available, he added.

"Dee offered to have the operation after the race, doing it now will allow Dee to get stronger through to the finish."

Amer Sports One is lying second overall on 18 points, just three points behind race leader Illbruck.

Leg four starts from Auckland on January 27 taking the yachts via Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro.