RI this afternoon to join the 21 yachts that began the race on June 16th. Meanwhile, some 240 miles south of St. John's, Newfoundland, German sailor Kerstin Troeger - who'd suffered a severely broken ankle when she was launched across the *****pit of the 48-foot HSH Nordbank several days ago - was successfully transferred to a Canadian Coast Guard vessel this afternoon and is bound for shore where she'll undergo immediate surgery on her injured leg.

Conditions were perfect when the 90-foot Rambler, owned by Connecticut sailor George David and skippered by sailmaker Ken Read, led the fleet out of Newport's Narragansett Bay and into the blue Atlantic. Rambler, under main and jib, held a slight early lead over the 80-foot Bon Bon, which started with main and jib alone but hoisted a small staysail moments after the start. Bringing up the rear in majestic style was the grand, ketch-rigged, 177-foot Perini Navi Parsifal III. Read is hoping for an 11-day passage, which would bring Rambler across the finish line on the Fourth of July.

At the front of the fleet, the Elliott 52 Outsider continues to set the pace and hold the lead, with the Cookson 50 Chieftain maintaining its lock on second place. Earlier today, Outsider was the most northerly boat in the fleet, at 47 N, and was making 12 knots while continuing to consolidate and extend its lead.

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