The careers of Hampshire's leading offshore yachtsmen will all have been boosted by their success in the Volvo Ocean Race and more opportunities in the world's top events now beckon.

Though spread across the fleet, Britain was heavily represented with three skippers. Neal and Lisa McDonald plus Jez Fanstone coming from Hamble and Lymington and another 12 from the region competing as crew, two of whom are expected to join Neal McDonald and the team of GBR Challenge.

Many took part in the last Whitbread on Lawrie Smith's Silk Cut but when Smith was unable to attract funds for the 2001/2002 event, they signed up for other syndicates.

Fanstone was employed by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and appointed skipper of Team NewsCorp.

He finished in fifth place overall and posted a victory in the sixth leg from Miami to Baltimore.

His crew included Gordon Maguire, a Silk Cut watchleader and Matt Humphries, who started the race on Swedish yacht Team SEB.

The Bermudan-based Team Tyco which finished fourth featured three ex-Silk Cut crew in Steve Hayles, Tim Powell and Gerry Mitchell plus the 'Gurnard Nipper' Guy Salter.

For the girls on Amer Sports Too, the Volvo Ocean Race was a triumph of courage over adversity since they struggled to attract the same level of support from their sponsors Nautor Challenge as their sister crew Amer Sports One, led by Kiwi veteran Grant Dalton.

They were last to cross the finish line in every leg except the last where they beat Tyco, Team SEB and the men on Amer Sports One prompting Dalton to honour a vow he made in Auckland that he would strip naked and run down the street with fruit up his rear if he was ever beaten by the girls.