Once again the 100-boat fleet sailed in hot tropical weather with the breeze starting as a nor-wester and bending back to east-north-east and easing from 14 knots to 10 knots as the race progressed. In these light breezes there were plenty of traffic jams at the marks, one proving disastrous for four times world champion Krister Bergstrom from Sweden.
A late change in wind direction on the final beat to windward also cost Americans Jeff Miller and Mike Martin their second win of the series after they had led at every mark.
At the first weather mark they were just holding off America's Cup skipper and designer Iain Murray, crewing for his wife Alex, in their new carbon fibre 505, but the husband and wife team slipped back during the race.
From there on Miller and Martin maintained a narrow lead, electing on the final leg to cover the British crew, Paul Towers and Dan Johnson, rather than fellow countrymen Howie Hamlin and Cam Lewis, as they closed the gap.
Fifty metres from the line Hamlin and Lewis edged in front to beat Miller and Martin by a mere boat length, third going to Towers and Johnson, fourth to the British crew of Ian Barker and Dan Cripps, fifth to Australian brothers Chris and Darren Nicholson, sixth to the Swedish crew of Ebbe Rosen and Olle Wenrup.
Bergstrom, facing a protest by Australian Greg Searant over a mark-rounding incident, retired from the race after coming ashore.
Provisional placings see Hamlin and Lewis now leading the pointscore after three races with 16.7 points from Towers and Johnson 21.7 and the Nicholson brothers 27.0 points.
-- PETER CAMPBELL @ CompuServe - 100036,2315