Gosport's Rory Gillard, skippering London Clipper in the amateur Clipper Ventures Round The World yacht race, seems to be holding a strong position just 20 miles behind Hong Kong Clipper bound for Yokohama, Japan.

Mainland Japan may be preparing itself for another peaceful, blossom-filled spring, but 400 nautical miles off the coast there is nothing peaceful about the sailing.

The fleet has recorded frustratingly lower daily runs this week with the wind blowing in from a north-north-westerly direction on the nose.

Caroline Chapman, an administrator racing onboard London Clipper with Gillard, commented earlier this week: "We've just had beautiful starry night with the sails lit up by a brilliant full moon.

"The wind was strong and we were sailing downwind at good speed with the heavyweight spinnaker up and powering us through the Pacific waves.

"It was around 23:00 and Fox's watch was on deck enjoying a good night sail and our new skipper, Rory, was up with us.

"Suddenly there was a loud bang from the front of the boat. We looked up to see the huge spinnaker apparently broken free from the spinnaker pole and now flogging wildly across the bow.

"The spinnaker pole, detached from its lines, was careering madly from side to side and smashing into the forestay.

"We all rushed to various stations, first to try to deck the pole before it brought down the rigging, and then to try to unwrap the spinnaker which had now wrapped itself around the forestay and was flogging itself to pieces.

"We tried in desperation to unwrap and deck the kite which by now had been speared in several places by the out-of-control pole.

"After endless and fruitless attempts to release the spinnaker, Rory was forced to give the order to smoke the lines holding it up.

"It is a scary moment when you release the lines from the winches and the phenomenal force rips them down the boat and through the clutches and blocks at tremendous speed.

"But it had the desired effect and the spinnaker came crashing down into the sea.

"It was still attached by the remaining line on the port side and it was a shocking sight to see this once elegant and powerfully billowing sail now being dragged like a wounded beast.

"The weight of the kite in the water was tremendous as it dragged back behind the boat.

"To hear the shout 'All hands on deck' is a frightening experience for the off-watch as they clamber into their life-jackets and scramble onto deck half dazed with sleep and fearful of what disaster will confront them. Thirty minutes it took to lift it back on to the boat.

"The whole nightmare had been caused by the failure of just one bolt!

"It was a shocking experience at the time and we are very thankful that no one was injured beyond a few bumps and bruises.

"It is not an experience we wish to repeat but we are all a bit more conscious of the forces involved in powering our 30-ton boat through the oceans."