Team SEB Fly While Djuice Suffer Gear Failure

Team SEB surged into the lead in the Volvo Ocean Race this morning, setting a new 24-hour mileage record for leg two and eclipsing Team News Corp’s previous mark (from Sunday) by an impressive 2.2 nautical miles.

Gunnar Krantz’s crew, the most northern team in the fleet, sailed 453.4 miles up to 10.10hrs GMT this morning, giving them an average speed of 18.89 knots. Krantz now has a four-mile lead over John Kostecki’s illbruck.

While SEB flies towards Australia, the reasons behind djuice’s fall from the top became apparent this morning. Knut Frostad’s team suffered another headboard car failure yesterday which Frostad estimates cost them 20 miles.

“Our new unbreakable headboard car came off the mast. It hadn’t actually broken, but the fittings that hold the slide rods broke off and then the whole car came off,” explained Frostad in an email.

“Learning from the last leg we have a spare one with us and it took us about two hours with hardly any speed to get the main down, get the new one on and fix a couple of batten fittings that flew off during the same night.”

But their problems have not stopped there. “Also we now have a ripped mainsail,” continued Frostad. “ A two-metre long tear in the bottom of the sail has caused us some worries lately. Trying to repair it properly is not very easy as the bottom of the main is constantly under heavy spray.”

Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 10, 10.00hrs GMT:

PSYachtLatitude LongitudeDTFCMGSMGTFHRDTLDTL-C ETA PO
1TSEB48 15.52S081 49.24E358710520.64520-0000202 DEC 0111
2ILBK48 52.76S081 56.40E359109318.04384+0000402 DEC 0115
3AART48 24.36S081 33.28E359908516.741112+0000902 DEC 0110
4NEWS49 57.28S081 55.88E360808916.337221+0001302 DEC 0111
5DJCE49 51.32S081 39.28E361708817.136030+0000902 DEC 016
6AONE49 31.96S078 07.80E374507917.1339158+0000803 DEC 0110
7ATOO51 15.68S068 48.48E411312213.3235526+0004604 DEC 013