Club Med, which is leading The Race, is now hurtling through the Southern Ocean at average speeds in excess of 23 knots and making the most of the Roaring Forties.
Having been 17 days at sea and covered a quarter of the course, Grant Dalton's lead over second placed Team Adventure is still a mere 200 miles. But with all the fleet travelling at such high speeds, the Southern Ocean, always an unknown quantity at the best of times will pose stern tests for these state of the art catamarans.
To reach their maximum speed of around 25 knots, the conditions have been flat water but, in the turbulent waters the leaders may well find themselves pegged back or suffering gear failure.
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