Volvo Ocean Race: Dongfeng team struggles with breakage on board

The men of the Chinese Dongfeng Race Team have not been rewarded for their strong performance over the past few days: On Sunday evening, a part of the deflection system for the topmast gennaker's sheets broke. When the attachment of the deflection block broke, the unplanned loss of the large loads in the aft area of the deck caused massive damage on the leeward side of the boat. Among other things, a steering wheel broke in two. The pushpit and the rear railing supports were also "shaved off". The breakage of a Satcom-C antenna is less serious because the loss can be compensated for with the complex equipment on board. None of the sailors were injured in the accident.

The crew has equipped the wrecked boat as well as possible for the remaining two to three days at sea with replacement solutions and repairs. As a result of the incident, the Dongfeng Race Team initially lost five nautical miles in the night from Sunday to Monday after 23 days at sea because the boat's speed dropped from around 22 knots to an average of twelve knots for a while. It took the team around half an hour to regain control of the resulting chaos. The fact that the men around skipper Charles Caudrelier were able to maintain their second place in the exciting final phase of the first leg against all odds can be seen as a masterstroke under the given circumstances.

In winds of 25 to 30 knots, the leading trio with front runners Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Dongfeng Race Team and the Dutch team Brunel storm through the Southern Ocean towards the destination harbour of Cape Town. However, the broken steering wheel could still cause problems for Dongfeng Race Team after the next gybe on the other bow. The irony of the story: shortly before the incident, the team had written a blog thanking the Shore team for preparing the boat so well. Anbord reporter Yann Riou had expressed the hope that the sailors would bring the boat to Cape Town in good condition as thanks. But now the work list for Dongfeng's shore team has just grown by leaps and bounds.