Global yachtswoman in third place

The first leg of the race finished in Torbay

Hampshire yachtswoman Emma Richards has slipped back into third place in the Around Alone global challenge.

Ms Richards, 27, from Hamble, is trailing Thierry Dubois by two miles in her 60ft yacht Pindar.

She was overtaken by the Frenchman in his yacht Solidaires off the north African coast during Wednesday night.

Both competitors are trying to catch race leader Bernard Stamm, in Bobst, in the second leg of the round-the-world challenge.

Cape Town

Ms Richards is the only Briton and only woman in the nine-month, five-leg race, due to finish next summer in Newport, Rhode Island.

She has now sailed 2,000 miles in this leg of the race since she left Torbay in Devon 10 days ago.

The 12 competing yachts are heading for Cape Town, South Africa, a total distance of 6,880 nautical miles.

They are expected to arrive about the 9 November.

Ms Richards became the first woman to complete a solo west to east transatlantic crossing in a monohull, when she sailed from New York to Torbay in 13 days, 14 hours and six minutes in the first leg of the race.