Defending champions Italy have repeated their late swoop of 1995 by taking the lead yesterday in sailing's Admiral's Cup. The 21 yachts competing for the grand prix of match racing are struggling in light winds off the south west coast of England in the final contest of the nine-race regatta, the gruelling 605-mile Fastnet Race.

Italy's ability to exploit light airs has allowed them to overtake the US - just as they did in the last Fastnet two years ago. Their big boat `Madina Milano' was involved in a duel for first place with America's `Flash Gordon 3'. `Brava Q8', meanwhile, led the ILC 40 class, and Italy's Mumm 36 `Breeze', skippered by Tommaso Chieffi, was third in the small boat class.

Host nation Britain were also providing a good display, with Olympic silver medallists Ian Walker and John Merricks leading the way in the smallest of Britain's boats, the Mumm 36 class `Bradamante'.

Britain's most inexperienced crew, described by team veteran Graham Walker as the "young guns", were five-and-a-half miles ahead of their nearest rivals in the small boat class, the Australians' `Sea'.

Conditions in the Fastnet did not help the 21 boats in their progress towards the rock, with winds so light and the tide so strong overnight that some of the boats were forced to drop anchor to prevent them from drifting backwards.