With 4,000 miles still to go in the second leg of the Around Alone race, Emma Richards remains second despite coming under fierce pressure from her French rivals.

Yesterday the Hamble yachtswoman, the only female competitor in the race and the youngest skipper, was 200 miles behind leader Bernard Stamm in Bobst Group Armor-Lux and pushing hard as the fleet emerged from the Doldrums and headed south to Cape Town.

Her direction and speed were causing him considerable anxiety.

"Pindar and Solidaires took the risk of crossing further to the East, and once they have come through, they will be in a better position than me, as I will have to sail back all those degrees in longitude towards the East," said the Swiss skipper. "Emma is attacking me on a boat which is much harder to manoeuvre - I take my hat off to her!"

But Richards was keeping a close eye on Thierry Dubois on Solidaires and Graham Dalton in Hexagon who were both within 100 miles distance, on either side of her.

"As I have no Sat B working since the big storm I have been relying on only one source of weather info which is not ideal by a long way, but my only option," she reported.

"And of course the position reports are great 'feel good fodder' but those few miles mean so little until we are out of this light stuff! This is not exactly a safe second place, but I relish it while I have it and push harder to keep it!

"It's funny, yesterday I saw some tell-tale tradewind clouds all lined up so was sure the wind would just slowly increase and come round - as my weather info was telling me!

"Wrong, I just missed it and it has changed on my doorstep. I have a horrible feeling both sides of me is looking better and they'll leave me for dead."