Sailing Column: Halfway around the world and the fleet in the Barcelona World Race is effectively halved after 40 days at sea.

For Ireland's Damian Foxall, co-skipper with Jean-Pierre Dick on Paprec Virbac, the halfway point might have been a celebration but for the constant presence of a key rival, threatening to relieve them of their precious overall lead in the 25,000-mile race.

Since entering the Southern Ocean more than two weeks ago, a steady progression of retirements has seen four of the top contenders pull out of the two-handed contest. Three of these Open 60-footers have been dis-masted, raising questions about their common spar manufacturer.

A fourth retiree smashed both rudders and limped to South Africa last weekend. This week has seen a fifth boat report worrying signs of rust on its canting keel. The husband and wife team of Dominique Wavre and Michelle Paret on Tenemos 2 plan to pull-in in Wellington, New Zealand, and will risk losing their keel to continue racing for the expected two weeks it will take to reach safety.

The remaining five boats, including Wavre and Paret, have effectively split into two groups. The leaders' pack, headed by Foxall and Dick, are being pursued by the highly-fancied Hugo Boss skippered by Alex Thompson and Andrew Cape.

This Anglo-Australian duo have steadily recovered from a dismal start in Barcelona where they were the eighth boat to leave the Mediterranean and until reaching the speed conditions of the Southern Ocean, were up to 400 miles astern of Paprec Virbac and PRB, until it retired the joint challenger for the overall lead.

Thanks to a broad cold front coming from the back of the fleet, Hugo Boss was swept to the front of the pack while Foxall and Dick were dicing with a one-mile wide iceberg last weekend. By Wednesday of this week, Thompson and Cape had come within 12 miles of the leader as both boats closed on the Cape Leuwin Safety and Scoring gate south of Western Australia.

But again, Foxall's weather tactics have paid off and once past the gate, Paprec Virbac has opened up a new lead on their rivals for the next stage to the Cook Strait which they expect to reach by Christmas Day.

Yesterday evening, Foxall and Dick were sailing more than 20 per cent faster than their rivals and had started a distance investment on Hugo Boss.

Astern of the two match-racing leaders, third placed Tenemos 2 lags by some 1,500 miles which is certain to increase to at least 2,000 miles after their pitstop in Wellington. Further behind, Mutua Madrilena with Educacion Sin Fronteras distantly trail the leaders by 2,000 and almost 3,000 miles respectively.

Damian Foxall's Barcelona World Race Log appears in Monday's Irish TimesSports Supplement.

Meanwhile, sailing will feature in RTÉ's Christmas schedules this year, with the broadcast of a half-hour documentary feature on the Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta 2007. The production, entitled The Regatta, was shot over four days in Dublin Bay during this year's regatta.

Made by Baily Films, the company behind earlier critically-acclaimed water-based documentaries The Bay, The Harbour, The Estuaryand The Navy, it features on-board footage from a range of craft competing in the event.

The Regattatakes viewers both on board the competing craft, and behind the scenes to examine the challenges thrown up by organising such a large-scale event on the bay. Involving over 3,000 competitors, and 25 different classes, the Volvo regatta was one of the largest participant sports events in Ireland this year. The Regattawill be broadcast on RTÉ 1 tomorrow at 4.20pm.