Volvo Ocean Race: Dongfeng reach safety with broken mast
- From the section Sailing
The Dongfeng Race Team have reached safety after suffering a broken mast 200 nautical miles from Cape Horn on the fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The crew cut off a sail and the top of the 30m mast to prevent more damage and reached land in Argentina.
Either the team will fit a new mast and rejoin the leg, or send the yacht to the next port in Brazil for repairs.
Chinese-backed Dongfeng jointly lead the round-the-world race with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing on eight points.
Abu Dhabi now lead the fifth stage from Auckland, New Zealand, to Itajai, Brazil, the start of which was delayed by 67 hours to avoid a developing super-cyclone.
The Volvo Ocean Race started in the Spanish city of Alicante in October, with teams visiting 11 ports in 11 countries across nine legs.
The race finishes in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June.
