Reports from satellites show Idler and the Italian boat Brava leading the big boat fleet in the Admiral's Cup competition.
But over 250 miles separate these boats from the finish, and there are many chances to gain or lose.
The 500-mile Wolf Rock race started Wednesday at 11 a.m. It is the final race and will decide the winner of this year's Admiral's Cup with six of the eight entered teams still able to capture the cup.
The 500-mile race follows short course racing earlier this week that proved a mixed blessing for the U.S. Team at the Admiral's Cup regatta off the coast of England. After a 36-hour round-the-clock repair to Idler, damaged when striking a rock during the middle distance race, the big boat of the American team was ready in time for the return to short course racing on Monday. Peter Holmberg of the Virgin Islands is sailing aboard Idler with his crew mate from Team Dennis Conner, helmsman Ken Read.
The return was a dramatic success as a bold course away from the pack paid off with a four minute lead at the finish line.
"After the rebuild job and putting the boat back together hours before the start, it was a great reward for the team to do a horizon job on the fleet," said Holmberg.
So it was back to normal racing for the top flight crew on Idler, for one race anyway.
Holmberg tells about the second race, "The British boat was ducking Germany and us, and lost control, came into our cockpit at full speed and took out our pulpit, (made a) big hole, tore up their bow pulpit, a real mess. Could have been a lot worse if Kenny (Read) hadn't thrown the stern to windward when he saw them coming."
The collision between the fifty-footers occurred with Idler in third place amid a tightly packed class.
"We came untangled quickly enough, but everyone was a bit shook up and with no lifelines it was a bit scary running around and hiking in the 20 plus knots of breeze we had today. We fought hard, but ended up sixth," finished Holmberg.
Those scores from Idler, combined with a steady fifth and fourth from Blue Yankee Pride, and a second and fourth scored by Ciao Baby closed the gap to the leading teams. Great Britain and the Netherlands are tied for first, followed by Europe, Germany and the Americans.

Academics Enhanced Inc. continues with registration for the Summer Academics Program. Children with learning and reading difficulties in grades K through 12 can be tutored. The classes will extend to August 20.
For more information call 776-4494 or 772-8003.

Despite the fact that the D.C. Canegata softball field wasn't prepared for play Wednesday night by DHPR, the three scheduled games in the Bob Owens Slowpitch Softball Summer League did go on, including a battle of unbeatens.
CHAMPAGNES 21, STEALERS 14
The first game was a back-and-forth battle between the only two undefeated teams in the league, Champagnes and Stealers. Champagnes took a 2-0 lead after one inning. The Stealers came back to tie the game 2-2 after two. Champagnes retook the lead, 5-2, in the top of the third. The Stealers came back in the bottom of the third when Guido Schjang blasted a two-run home run to give the Stealers the lead.
Trailing 10-5 at the top of the fourth, Champagnes' Jin Bautista blasted a grand slam to give Champagnes the lead. They scored 12 runs in the inning to lead 17-11. Champagnes went on to win 21-14 to remain undefeated at 4-0, handing the Stealers their first loss of the season.
Allan Woods got the win and Ronald Schjang, in his first outing for the summer, suffered the loss. Julien Tima (2-4, 5 RBI) had two home runs, his third and fourth of the season. Jose Robles (3-3, 6 RBI) also had two home runs and Jin Bautista (2-4, 4 RBI) added his first home run of the season in the win. Champagnes, now the only undefeated team in the league, are in sole possession of first place. Melvin George (2-3, HR) and Guido Schjang (2-3, HR, 4 RBI) led the Stealers.

40 CALIBER 23, MOST HIGH 14
In the second game, 40 Caliber collected on 23 hits to easily down Most High 23-14. The win went to Tony Perez and the loss went to Gregory Francis.
Dave Schjang (2-3, 5 RBI) had two home runs. Luis Cintron (2-4,4 RBI) and Angel Torres (4-5, 3 RBI) each had solo home runs. It was Cintron's sixth dinger of the season for 40 Caliber. Eddie Ogarro (3-4, 3 RBI) blasted his fourth of the season and George Knight (2-3, 2 RBI) had a solo blast in the losing cause.

GUIDANCE 20, XTREME DANGER TOO 7
In the final game Guidance scored 13 runs in the first inning and never looked back as they won their second straight 20-7, keeping Xtreme Danger Too winless on the season. Dee King got his second win of the season and Clifton Heywood got the loss in his first outing. Gregory Lewis (1-2, 3 RBI) had his fourth home run of the season. Todd Joseph (2-3, 3 RBI) and Joseph Hodge (2-2, 2 RBI) each had a homer in the win.
Carlos Aloyo (1-2, HR, 3 RBI) and Leonard Frett (2-2, 2 RBI) led Xtreme Danger Too.

MONDAY'S SCHEDULE
Coming up this Monday night at D.C. Canegata Ballpark, at 6:15 p.m. 40 Caliber (3-2) faces Guidance (2-1). At 7:30 p.m. the Stealers (4-3) take on Most High (1-4). At 8:45 p.m. Anchor Dive (1-2) goes against winless Xtreme Danger Too (0-4).

Idler is first big boat across the finish line by over twenty minutes, but that is not enough to keep the well rounded team from the Netherlands from winning the 1999 Admiral's Cup.
In final team results the Netherlands is first, Europe, second, Great Britain, third Germany, fourth and the U.S. Team finishes in fifthe place.
The Netherlands won by placing second in all three classes sailed for the event. Observers predicted that Idler could drop several places after the handicap was applied to her fleet's times. This was true as Idler finished third in the last race and third for the regatta in class.

Compulsory car insurance and a measure to allow cruise ships to open their casinos while docked in St. Thomas were approved by the Senate Wednesday night when it passed the Short Term Revenue Enhancement Act of 1999.
The legislation also adjusts a number of fees and fines in the Lieutenant Governor's Office.
"This proposal needs to be implemented so we can start generating some revenues for the operation of the Lieutenant Governor's Office so he could reduce the demands on the general fund," Senate President Lorraine Berry said. "It covers increases in fees recommended by the former lieutenant governor and also fees that were recommended by the current lieutenant government."
The bill places a $25 cap on fees for issuing certificates, documents and providing information.
It also increases fines for the late payment of franchise taxes from 10 percent of taxes due to 20 percent.
The bill passed 9-3.
Senators hope cruise ships will stay in port later if they are allowed to operate their casinos while docked in St. Thomas
"This is a concern the retailers have expressed and we're trying to bring about an increase in revenue by this particular section," Berry said,
Car insurance will be compulsory six months after the bill is signed by Gov. Charles Turnbull.
The provision will generate revenue from the gross receipts taxes insurance companies will pay and from the 5 percent premium tax they also will pay on every premium. Insurance industry officials have also said the added business will force them to hire new employees.
Industry officials estimate that about two-thirds of Virgin Islands drivers don't have car insurance.
Many senators said mandatory car insurance was badly needed to protect motorists and their vehicles.
"Automobile insurance is something that this community longs for," Sen. Roosevelt David said. "Just about every day you can think, someone is hurt in an accident, someone's car's is damaged, and people simply say to you I'm sorry, you have take your own money out and pay for what the damages are."
David said car insurance would be affordable.
"Look at the money to be paid by the consumer, nominal indeed, less than $300 a year, less than $1 a day," he said.
Sen. Judy Gomez , however, said car insurance would be another burden to residents during difficult economic times.
"Within the next couple of months the people of this territory will be undergoing changes as far as reorganizing the government is concerned, a change in duties, a change in employment that may result in unemployment," she said.
"Putting in place compulsory insurance at this time when people are dependent upon utilizing their own transportation to get around I think is a disservice to the people of the territory."
David said he was disappointed the $2.50 cruise ship passenger head tax was left out of the bill.
"I'm supportive because generally what the bill does is bring revenue to the territory, badly needed revenues," he said. "However, I'm somewhat unhappy that the $2.50 ocean carrier tax is not in this bill."
Also removed from the bill was a measure instituting a cigarette tax. Majority senators, however, said the cigarette tax is not dead, but is being revamped for future presentation.

The Legislature wielded its might over the governor Wednesday night by passing a Financial Accountability Act which, among other measures, legally requires sitting administrations to balance the budget.
"What this measure seeks to do is to accomplish what many of us spoke about when we campaigned," Sen. Norman Jn.-Baptiste said. "Bringing accountability to government. What this measure does is effectively say to the executive branch of government, no more runaway spending, no more of hiring political cronies at exorbitant salaries."
Aside from the balanced budget, the Financial Accountability bill creates an attrition program for the public workforce, decreases the number of exempt positions, orders better maintenance of federal grants, authorizes the reorganization of the central government and orders evaluations of all government positions and property.
The bill passed 10-3. Sens. Adelbert Bryan, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg and Alicia "Chucky" Hansen voted against the bill. Sens. Anne Golden and Norman Jn.-Baptiste were absent.
The bill address problems that have been allowed to linger for decades, Senate President Vargrave Richard said.
"Our financial predicament has been analyzed, dissected, anything that you can think about. And over the years, over different administrations, we've been warned, forewarned, told of the imminent fall of our government, and we have jumped around the responsibility of doing the right thing," Richards said.
Many senators viewed the balanced budget as the most vital part of the bill.
"A balanced budget is when the revenues match the expenditures. Right now we have a situation where the expenditures exceed by far our revenues," Petrus said. "No economy that you would see that is doing good has a situation where it is totally dependent on the public sector, where 92 percent of the public sector's revenues go toward payroll.
"That is an economy that is flirting with death," he said.
Petrus, like other senators, spoke of the federal government's budget surplus.
"The big celebration about the U.S. economy is for the first time in 15 years the U.S. government can brag about having a balanced budget. What does that mean? Why are so many people celebrating while we're suffering? They have one, we don't," Petrus said. "Is that an indication we're doing things that are totally wrong.
"Should we continue what we've always done, we will continue to get what we've always got," he said.
The bill also attempts to ensure that the governor, in preparing the budget, uses only actual revenues, Sen. David Jones said.
"The balanced budget provision is very important and, in concert with that, we must have verifiable receipts that are audited and certified to be true," David said. "No more phantom figures."
Sen. Judy Gomez, however, said the administration must be given some leeway as far as revenues are concerned.
"If we are talking about balancing the budget based on revenues actually received, we will never function, because the fact is, we must deal with projections, realistic projections, based on monies anticipated to be received," Gomez said.
Sen. George Goodwin said he was particularly supportive of directing the administration to evaluate all of its properties with the intent of moving out of rented spaces.
"Our economy is taking a nose dive and here is one source where we can put a plug to stop the nose dive," Goodwin said. "When you look around and see the amount of rents the government is paying, they have a lot of buildings just going to waste."
Goodwin said he also supported more frequent reviews of the government insurance payments.
"When you only wait until a year at a time to review those records, it simply means that the government is paying out insurance for people that have already left and in some instances, for people that have died," Goodwin.
The bill orders a review of the insurance program every 90 days.
"In supporting the measure and getting it passed, that's not the end of the story. We have to monitor and monitor constantly," Goodwin said. "As a member of the Finance Committee, I'll ensure I work with the Finance chair and other members to make sure that we keep check on the government.
"Here are ways and means that we can start to plug the holes of this government and at least bring us back to some financial respectability," he said.
Sen. Gregory Bennerson said the Senate must exercise the same fiscal responsibility it is attempting to impose on the governor.
"This Legislature too has to be prepared during the budget process to deal with cuts also and I hope we are prepared in this body to do such," Bennerson said. "Some of it may be coming right in our own personal allotment, committees, and the body itself.
"Every branch must bear the responsibility of the what this financial morass is. So, I ask, let us not look on high when it comes time to do the cutting and when it comes to do the voting," he said.
Bryan's attempt to force some accountability on the part of the Senate, however, was defeated. His amendment to have senators, except the president, paid equally and to publicize the names of all employees of Legislature lost 5-8.
"I guarantee that there is no senator right here in this body that knows all employees of the Legislature, whether they are central staff or senatorial staff," Bryan said. "The Legislature employees are public employees just like executive branch employees and judicial branch employees.
"I see people come and go and we don't know if they working here, we see people coming in here collecting checks and we don't know what they're doing. If we are talking about fiscal responsibility, the only fair thing to do is to make all senators responsibile," he said.
Only Bryan, Cole, Hansen, Liburd and Bennerson voted for the amendment.

The Virgin Islands has received $16 million from the federal government to bring its computer systems into Y2K compliance.
"This new package of federal assistance will not only fix our computers, but substantially reduce our debt service costs and ease our critical cash flow problems by substituting federal dollars for locally borrowed ones," Gov. Charles Turnbull said Wednesday in a written statement. "That makes this grant a very important part of our financial recovery."
Earlier this year, the Turnbull administration was authorized to borrow as much as $30 million to bring the government's computer systems into compliance.
The Y2K computer problem threatens to shut down computers and computer systems around the world. Computer experts fear that unless such machines are reprogrammed or replaced, computers that recognize the year with only two digits will malfunction on next New Year's Day because they will think the year is 1900.
This may drastically affect computers that run date-based programs, such as those that calculate interest in banks. The Y2K bug's effects on other computers is unknown.
"We in the Department of Interior are particularly proud of this funding since it represents a major new source of assistance for the Virgin Islands, and one that is very much needed," said Danny Aranza, acting director of the Office of Insular Affairs.
"I am pleased OIA seized the opportunity to work with the White House, the Governor and the Delegate to Congress early this year to help solve a major problem in all of the islands before it damaged the local economies or interfered with their abilities to govern," Aranza said.
In the statement, V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen lauded the assistance given to the territory.
"I am pleased that the joint efforts of our offices have resulted in this historic success. I want to thank Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and the Office of Insular Affairs . . . for responding to the V.I.'s request to provide additional Y2K funding for the territory, as it works to meet the crucial challenge of becoming Y2K compliant at the earliest opportunity," Christensen said.

A home put up for bond has been forfeited to the government because of Reuben Vigilant's failure to appear Wednesday for sentencing on charges of attempted murder.
Vigilant was previously convicted of one count of attempted murder, two counts of first degree assault and several other charges for attacking his girlfriend with a machete on Jan. 5, 1999.
The Bovoni home was put up for bond by friend's of Vigilant's mother to keep him out of jail during his trial. Before he was convicted, however, Vigilant disappeared.
On Monday, Judge Ive Arlington Swan postponed the sentencing until Oct. 6, pending Vigilant's capture or voluntary return to the territory.
Assistant Attorney General Lofton Holder said the government is "actively pursuing," Vigilant, but he could not be more specific.
It is believed Vigilant had left the territory; it is unknown if he has returned.

Responding to Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg’s early June request to investigate the use of depleted uranium weapons on Vieques by the U.S. Marines, the director of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency said there was no immediate safety concern for people on the island or the surrounding environment.
According to NRC Director Shirley Ann Jackson, because depleted uranium is comparable to naturally occurring uranium, the contamination doesn’t pose a threat.
"Because the radioactivity is relatively low, occasional direct exposure to DU does not pose a significant radiological hazard," Jackson said. "The NRC staff believes that the public health is not endangered by the DU remaining on the firing range…"
She did add, however, that the NRC will conduct an independent inspection of the Navy’s ongoing efforts to recover ammunition containing depleted uranium. The Navy is scheduled to complete its own report in September, and following the NRC’s review, she said her agency will provide Donastorg with both sets of results.
Donastorg, chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection, asked the NRC to investigate the March 19 incident where two Marine aircraft fired 263 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition at the island firing range just off the coast of Puerto Rico. St. Croix is less than 40 miles from Vieques and is home to many people who have relatives on the island of 9,000 people.
In his letter to Jackson, Donastorg not only expressed concern for the residents of Vieques, but he said he was worried that the depleted uranium could contaminate the area’s fishery, thus affecting the Virgin Islands.
Jackson’s response, dated June 29, said that depleted uranium ammunition is to be used only during combat or approved tests and not for training. She said that in March, the Navy removed 57 expended rounds of the ammunition and an undetermined amount of contaminated soil.
Jackson said that the Navy plans to resume recovery efforts in August, or sooner, depending on whether or not Puerto Rican protesters occupying the firing range leave.
"Although the investigation is ongoing, the Navy has taken several corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence and has planned additional action," Jackson wrote. "The NRC has been evaluating the safety and environmental significance of the event and is continuing to review the effectiveness of corrective actions."
The depleted uranium issue isn’t the only problem the U.S. military is having on Vieques. There is a growing chorus in Puerto Rico for the ouster of the Navy, which has used the island as a firing range since 1941. In April a Puerto Rican security guard at the range was killed by an errant bomb.
Following the two incidents, and at the behest of Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Rossello, President Bill Clinton ordered a study by the Navy to assess the need for Vieques. The report is scheduled to be finished in August.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines will pay a $1.5 million fine in the District Court of the Virgin Islands for illegal discharges of polluted water from one of its ships docked in Frederiksted and for making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Thomas.
According to James Hurd, U.S. Attorney for the Virgin Islands, Royal Caribbean entered a guilty plea on two counts in District Court on St. Croix Wednesday. The penalty is part of a larger $18 million in criminal fines for 21 environmental offenses in six different judicial districts, Hurd said.
If the plea agreement is approved by all the district courts involved, the $18 million fine will be the largest ever paid in an environmental case involving cruise ships. Lynn Martenstein, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of corporate relations, said the fines won’t alter any of the company’s cruise itineraries.
According to Hurd, "each and every time" Royal Caribbean’s Song of America was docked in Frederiksted in the summer and fall of 1994, the ship’s crew discharged "gray water" containing toxic heavy metal silver from the ship’s photo lab and perchlorosthylene from its dry cleaner.
Hurd said that while ships are allowed to discharge gray water from dishwashers, showers, laundry, baths and wash basins, water containing perchlorosthylene or silver is supposed to be separated and held in on-board tanks.
Martenstein said that in January 1996, the cruise line had an outside consultant run tests on the gray water, specifically for silver. She said silver was non detectable. However, Martenstein said the consultant questioned the practice and the mixing was stopped.
"There was no question, we were putting the silver and perchlorosthylene in the gray water," Martenstein said. "We thought we were in compliance with the law. Now we recycle both the perc and silver."
According to the plea agreement, Royal Caribbean admitted that on or about March 5, 1997 in St. Thomas, crew members submitted a false Oil Record Book to the Coast Guard for the Grandeur of the Seas cruise ship.
Hurd said that all Royal Caribbean ships are required to have an oil water separator that allows clean bilge water to be pumped overboard while bilge oil is kept inboard for proper disposal. Instead, Hurd said that from approximately Nov. 20, 1996 through March 1997, the Grandeur of the Seas’ crew "regularly bypassed the oil water separator to discharge oil-contaminated bilge waste…" and then posted false entries into the ship’s oil record book saying that overboard discharges contained little or no oil.
Martenstein said all of Royal Caribbean’s 16 ships have "brand-spanking new" bilge water cleaning equipment and environmental officers onboard. And four of the offending vessels are no longer in the company’s inventory, she said.
"We are profoundly sorry that a group of our employees knowingly violated environmental laws and our own company policy," Royal Caribbean International President Jack Williams said in a statement. "The majority of these violations reflect a lapse in our enforcement efforts, not a lapse in our corporate conscience or our commitment to protecting the ocean."
As part of the plea agreement, Royal Caribbean will be on probation for five years and will continue to report quarterly on its environmental compliance plan approved by a district court judge in the Southern District of Florida. That district is one of six, including the V.I.; Alaska; the Southern District of New York; Puerto Rico and the Central District of California, where Royal Caribbean plead guilty to 21 environmental offenses totaling $18 million. In addition, the company paid $9 million last year for other violations.
"It is critically important to protect the natural resources of the Virgin Islands for the welfare of our community, for the future of our children and for the enjoyment of our visitors," Hurd said. "While we continue to welcome the cruise ship industry to the Virgin Islands, this prosecution should send a signal that the laws designed to protect our environment will be enforced and those who violate them will be prosecuted."