The course was laid close to Marstrand Island, where a couple of hundred spectators had gathered to follow the action through binoculars. The spectators got their fill of drama before the start, when Swedish yacht Ithaka, helmed by Jan Orest, broke her mast and had to leave the race. Four other yachts chose to discontinue the race.

Sunday's winner of Group 1, Norway's Fram XIV, had a close call in a massive broach on the first leeward run. Nevertheless, the crew managed to stay on top and win the race. "We've had a fantastic day at sea" says Jens Ulltveit-Moe, helmsman on Fram XIV, a 40 One-Off yacht. "The waters off Marstrand are outstanding, and with our modern yachts we get a surf effect that is simply breath-taking!"

The rough weather forced the Race Committee to postpone the remaining two of the three races planned on Sunday. These races will be sailed later in the week. Yesterday, on Monday, the 24-hour offshore race began.

The preliminary results after the first race are as follows:

Group 1 (GPH 525.0 - 595.0)
1. Fram XIV, Norway
2. Xaos, Denmark
3. Checkmate, the Netherlands

Group 2 (GPH 595.1 - 605.0)
1. Extasy, Germany
2. Satori, the Netherlands
3. My-X, Sweden

Group 3 (GPH 605.1 - 620.0)
1. L+M Hispaniola, Germany
2. Marjalisa, Norway
3. Ericsson, Sweden

Group 4 (GPH 620.1 - 693.0)
1. Lollipop, Germany
2. Fix oder Nix, Germany
3. Galax, Sweden