BRITISH solo sailor Pete Goss is paying for a conservative start to the Route du Rhum after four days at sea.

Goss, 48, was ranked 31st out of 44 boats in the Class 40 fleet, 80 nautical miles behind the class leader Thomas Ruyant.

One of only two Brits in the singlehanded race from France to Guadeloupe, Goss is most famous for his heroic mid-ocean rescue of Raphael Dinelli in the 1996 Vendée Globe.

The race, which started on Sunday, is expected to take around three weeks.