Dongfeng Race Team, the joint leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race who broke their mast a day ago, are nursing their stricken boat towards dry land and safety.
The breakage could hardly have happened at a worse place for the Chinese team, some 250 nautical miles away from Cape Horn in the midst of the treacherous Southern Ocean and in high winds on the fifth leg.
The damage has robbed the 20-metre boat of much of its manoeuvrability and French bowman Kevin Escoffier was forced to cut off one of the sails, to avoid it doing more damage to the 30-metre mast. He also cut away the top part of the mast.
"After four extraordinary legs for our team, we've taken our first major punch. A very big one," lamented French skipper Charles Caudrelier.
He must now decide whether to try to carry out repairs in Ushuaia, Argentina, which they are scheduled to reach on Tuesday, and attempt to re-join the leg.
Alternatively, they could quit the 6770-nautical mile stage and then transport the boat to the next stopover, Itajai in Brazil, for a full mast re-fit in time for the next leg to Newport, Rhode Island on April 19.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who held the joint lead with Dongfeng prior to the fifth leg start from Auckland on March 18, protected a slim 2.8 nautical mile advantage over Turkish-US Team Alvimedica on Tuesday.
Spanish boat MAPFRE and Team Brunel of the Netherlands were both within 20 nautical miles while the all-women's crew Team SCA were some 500 nautical miles behind having suffered serious sail damage in a storm last week.
The boats are expected to arrive in Itajai between April 5-6.
In all, they visit 11 ports and every continent with the race concluding in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27.
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