Until Neal McDonald takes to the water again, with the British America's Cup team in Auckland, he is bound to wonder what might have been, had he been skipper of Assa Abloy from the start of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The Hamble skipper crossed the finish line in Kiel last weekend in third place after the 220 nm ninth leg, to take the runners-up medal behind the German boat Illbruck.

It was a fine achievement since McDonald only took over the helm at the end of the first leg from Southampton having never skippered in a major offshore race before.

He had joined the Assa Abloy project late, resigning from GBR Challenge when his wife Lisa was appointed skipper of rival boat Amer Sports One.

Before the race started, there were rumours that Roy Heiner, Assa's skipper, had already fallen out with his crew and by the time the nine-strong fleet reached Cape Town, with Assa trailing in fifth place, a reluctant McDonald was being lined up to take his place.

The second leg found him acclimatising to his new role and Assa performed well until a disastrous tactical decision on the final approaches to Sydney saw them fall back to sixth.

But from the third leg onwards, Assa Abloy posted three wins, a second, two thirds and a fourth place to finish just six points behind Illbruck.

The comeback was one of the strongest from any boat since the race started in 1973 but on the dockside in Kiel, McDonald remained philosophical about lost opportunities in the early stages.

"You can never go back and look at it like that. Illbruck thoroughly deserved to win. They've got an incredible group of people aboard. We did the best we could and we are where we are.

"It would have been nice to win. That was our initial goal, but we're happy with second!"

His standing in the league of world class skippers has soared, increasing his chances of raising a competitive British campaign in good time for the next Volvo Ocean Race in 2005.

Were he to find funds, he would insist on Jason Carrington as boatbuilder and crewmember, after the Lymington yachtsman masterminded the build of Assa Abloy, which proved the most robust and fastest boat in the fleet.

In the meantime, he and his wife return to their home - and their two cats - in Hamble before heading off to Auckland where he is set to join Peter Harrison's campaign for the America's Cup as a member of Ian Walker's racing team.