Joint leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race, Dongfeng Race Team, were dramatically forced to quit the fifth leg early on Monday when their mast broke in the Southern Ocean.
The incident could hardly have happened at a worse position for the Chinese boat, 240 nautical miles (nm) from Cape Horn in southern Chile, one of the most remote places on Earth.
The breakage in the top section of the mast means that the team cannot properly manoeuvre the boat. No members of the nine-strong crew on board were injured.
The boat’s French skipper Charles Caudrelier sent a message to his team, saying he was “gutted” by the breakage.
His team of Chinese rookies had been joint leaders of the nine-month, offshore marathon race with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing at the halfway stage.
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“The mast broke without warning, in about 30 knots of wind,” Caudrelier said. “We are unable to sail safely on starboard tack, but we are able to make reasonable speed on port tack. We will head towards Ushuaia, Argentina, and assess our options.”
The team was on its way to Itajaí, south-eastern Brazil, from Auckland, New Zealand on the 6,776nm leg, the most treacherous of the race, when the accident happened.
Volvo Ocean Race organisers said they had alerted maritime safety organisations and were doing everything they could to assist the crew.
Dongfeng will now face a race against time to have the boat transported from Ushuaia to Itajaí ready to start the next leg to Newport, Rhode Island, with a new mast.
The fleet is scheduled to set sail for the sixth leg to the United States on April 19.
It is the second major breakage to hit the seven-strong fleet since the race began on October 11 from Alicante, Spain.
On November 29, during the second leg in the Indian Ocean, Denmark’s Team Vestas Wind badly damaged their boat after it smashed into a reef.
The crew escaped unhurt after wading through waters known to be shark-infested to reach safety.
The vessel is now being rebuilt and the team hopes to rejoin the race in June for the final two legs.
The Volvo Ocean Race is generally reckoned to be the toughest offshore challenge in sailing. In 2011-12, five of the six-strong fleet suffered major breakages on leg five.
In all, the 2014-15 race will cover 38,739nm, visiting 11 ports and every continent. It is due to conclude in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27.
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