The Ocean Race: Malizia leads on course for the equator, Guyot's black streak continues

The duel between Team Malizia and Charlie Enright's US team 11th Hour Racing continues to provide suspense on leg four of the Ocean Race. Just over a week after the starting signal off Itajaí, Team Malizia defended a narrow lead of one and a half nautical miles over the American team at midday on 1 May. Paul Meilhat's Team Biotherm followed some 28 nautical miles behind. Behind them, Guyot Environnement - Team Europe is struggling to catch up again after problems with the foil control, 190 nautical miles behind.

Team Guyot's black streak continues

Skipper Ben Dutreux, co-skipper Robert Stanjek and their crew had previously kept up remarkably well with the fleet. Early on Sunday morning, they were still in second place, just four nautical miles behind 11th Hour Racing. Then another technical problem spoilt the hard-earned sailing gala for the unlucky crew of the Ocean Race King leg, which they had had to abandon with hull damage.

The fact that there was a new problem quickly became apparent to fans in the tracker when Team Guyot suddenly headed towards the coast and slowed down considerably. On board, it felt like a hard knockdown out of nowhere for the crew. At full speed, the crew had to abort the flight mode because the trim line for extending the foil was broken and the foil could no longer be controlled. Speeds of over 20 knots collapsed to five to six knots.

The performance is there, but the technology is bogged down

Benjamin Dutreux and Sébastien Simon laboured into the depths of the yacht and removed panelling to reach the damaged area. The hours of gruelling work ultimately set the team back even more than they had feared. While the competition flew away in the trade winds towards the equator, Team Guyot felt its way northwards along the Brazilian coast in repair mode. The team was only able to resume full speed on Monday night.

By then, the gap had already grown to 200 nautical miles. And with it the frustration. Navigator Sébastien Simon commented on his team's series of misfortunes: "We were able to show our potential on all stages. On the first, the second, the third and also now. And then every time we had a big problem. It's crazy ..." There is new hope that the fleet will be able to push together in the calmer winds ahead.

We have to find the right balance." (Nico Lunven)

After passing the north-east corner of Brazil on course for the equator, the field is currently struggling with decreasing winds. The navigation is complex, as Nico Lunven describes. Team Malizia's navigator said: "It's difficult because we don't want to sail too close to the coast. The winds are weak there and there are thunderstorms overnight. But to get to Newport, keeping to the coast is the shortest route. We have to find the right balance. Then the Doldrums will follow before we get the North Atlantic trade winds. After that, things will move faster." Until then, however, there are a few light wind days to get through and tricky transitions to master.

"Fresh Blood" - click here for the new episode of the documentary series "Malizians:

Team Holcim-PRB's skipper Kevin Escoffier explains in the video the next steps of his team, which is shipping a replacement mast from France and the racing yacht from Rio to Newport in order to make a comeback to the Ocean Race in time for leg 5:

Click here for the live tracker and the interim results.