Minutes before the start of the first race, one of the team's inflatable chase boats scurried up to America 3 and tossed a pack on board.

Accompanied by a police boat and a chase boat called the Bachelor Quarters, he headed out.

A French chase boat immediately circled the stricken yacht.

The chase boat would accompany the drifting trapeze which would be clearly identified by the supporting buoys.

Never ride in offshore winds without some means of recovery, i.e. a chase boat.

"We got the chase boats," Mr. Weiss said, "and just scooped the racers out of the water."

The chase boat inched forward, and the distance between them slowly decreased.

There has been chatter on the sailing blogs that this boat will be the chase boats during the Chinese Olympics.

The chase boat says they can't see beyond their bow.

"He goes right from the chase boat to the yacht and then back onto his own yacht."