Musical chairs at Volvo Race

Performance assessment and peer review is a tough old business on the long slog of a round the world race. The news that Neal McDonald (right) is to step down as skipper of Volvo Ocean Race yacht Sony Ericsson is sad to hear, and deprives Britain of its most clear-cut national interest, but it puts him in good company over the years.

Judging by the past, this is the familiar shuffling sound of musical chairs. It's a reversal of the plot during the last race when, under the same management, Neal McDonald was brought in to replace Roy Heiner as skipper of the under-performing Assa Abloy. John Kostecki won that race in illbruck and now replaces Neal as skipper of Sony Ericsson. And the deposed Roy Heiner? He was a moving spirit behind the ABN AMRO campaign and is having enormous success as their technical sailing director.

As they say: phew!