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VOR: 2 repairs in 3 days did not break AkzoNobel's spirit

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AkzoNobel team managed to repair the mast at the second attempt and reduced the gap with the race leader Dongfeng Race Team by unbelievable 125 nautical miles within a day.

The most difficult, even without taking into account the rough conditions of the Southern Ocean with 10-meter waves and wind gusts over 45 knots, the repair of the broken mast on the Dutch boat ended in failure - the first strong wave destroyed the glued rail, attaching the mainsail to the 30-meter mast.

The crew persistently proceeded to the repeated repair, but already with the use of another glue. It was only yesterday early in the day that the crew, holding their breath, carefully raised the sail and were finally able to get back to full speed.

In fact, the VO65 AkzoNobel boat spent 3 days without a mainsail on the front sails alone. During this time the crew was almost 380 nautical miles behind the leader, but after a day this distance was reduced to 250.

Now a little over 220 miles separate the Blue and Purple from the Chinese flagged boat.

The team's goal is to at least maintain the distance they've come between them and the rest of the fleet until they reach Melbourne, giving the rest of the fleet time to build up momentum before the next leg.

The sailors have little hope of catching up, as they are forecast to enter a zone of weak winds in the middle of this week.

Other competitors may have bypassed the weak winds while the conditions were still favourable for speed. To bypass these areas to the south AkzoNobel will not be possible, as at the weekend the organizers have raised the Ice Gate line even higher because of the high risk of collision of boats with icebergs.

As long as the weather allows for high speeds, the crew is fighting for every mile, balancing on the edge of high performance and safety.

At the head end of the fleet, things were equally heated this weekend. MAPFRE team has reduced the gap with the current main contender for the first place - Dongfeng Race Team - from 15 to 5 nautical miles for 24 hours and still holds the position, imposing the leader in an intense struggle. Who will be the first on the finish line will be known at the end of this week.

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