The damage occurred after an enormous leap from a wave 500 miles from land, in the open sea off Lisbon.
After a promising start, and when the Volvo Open 70 was sailing at full potential in a heavy downpour and in close competition with the Dutch boat, ABN-AMRO One, nearly 60 miles ahead of the rest of the fleet after a mere 12 hours of the competition, the boat leaped over a wave and slammed back down into the sea, causing structural damage to boat. The damage affected the work load of the pivoting keel’s hydraulic system. For reasons of safety, the team is forced to set course for Cadiz (Spain) in an attempt to repair the damage.
The decision was taken after passing the latitude of Lisbon (Portugal) at 10:00 a.m. (Spanish time), when the Spanish boat was 300 miles from the port of Cadiz.
The entire shore team has set off from their base in Sanxenxo for Cadiz.