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Regatta Rubicon to resume

Leg one winner Roland Jourdain in Sill Plein Fruit

LANZAROTE, Canary Islands -- After a two-day pit stop, the second 1,465-mile leg of the Regatta Rubicon is set to get under way.

The fleet sails from the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries to Santa Margherita on the west coast of Italy at 1700 GMT on May 20.

Pre-race favourite Frenchman Roland Jourdain will be looking to repeat his first leg victory when he finished just two hours ahead of Briton Ellen MacArthur in Kingfisher after 6 days, 4 hours and 14 minutes at sea.

Jourdain and his four crew members on the Open 60 foot monohull Sill Plein Fruit sailed the first leg at an average speed of 8.63 knots.

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"What a fantastic sea battle that was! Match-racing with the Italians, ambitious Swiss flyers, the speed and tactics, the constant manoeuvres on deck -- all you could want out of a race," he said.

Ellen MacArthur on Kingfisher crossed the line in 2nd place just 40 minutes ahead of Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor Lux.

At the dockside MacArthur said: "Its been great to be back out to sea, it was too long on land! The team has been fantastic, we've worked really well together and even when the position reports have lowered moral, we've bounced back each time. You have to believe that anything can happen, and just never give up."

MacArthur is handing over to Australian Nick Moloney for the second leg so she can join Alain Gautier on his 60-foot trimaran Foncia for the 2,500-mile Course des Phares, which starts from Calais, France on Wednesday.

Maloney is fresh from his record breaking 64-day voyage around-the-world on the maxi-catamaran Orange.

The 1,280-mile first leg took the fleet of Open 60-foot monohulls across the Bay of Biscay, down to Yaiza on the Canary Island of Lanzarote.

The second 1,465-mile leg takes the fleet into the Mediterranean for a finish in Santa Margherita, Italy. Total prize money for the race is 76,200 Euros.

Regatta Rubicon Results after Leg One