Chinese food = good. Chinese gybe = bad.

(March 24, 2015; Day 8) – When a day passes, and every Volvo Ocean Race team makes significant gains on the leader but one, there tends to be a dramatic reason. Such was the case during a period of wild storms that hit several of the teams, but SCA suffered the most. Here reports Anna-Lena Elled from onboard:
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In 24 hours we got it all. The most spectacular sailing you can imagine and a total wipe out with shredded sails, broken bits and pieces and a boat in a complete mess as a consequence.

Fortunately the crew is safe and didn’t suffer any major injuries. It seems like we also were lucky with both the boat and the rig, and Stacey, our on board sail maker, is confident that she can repair the sail damages.

So what happened? We had one of the most spectacular days of sailing you can imagine. It was wet, brutal and cold but who cares when you are surfing down the swell in 20 to 25 knots. But then a few smaller wipe outs preceded the big one, when the squall hit us and a gybe pressed us down on the starboard side.

Everything happened very quickly. It took a few minutes before the crew could sort out the situation and get the boat on the right heel again. It´s been a long night inspecting the damage, organizing the boat, and make a recovery plan. Stacey has already started to work with the sail.

There is a lot to be done until we are completely back on track again. It´s crucial now that everybody manages to recover strength, get some rest and as always eat and drink. It´s cold out here. It does not rain anymore, we get hail.
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In total, Team SCA, Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE incurred accidental gybes from Monday to Tuesday, with video now available: CLICK HERE

Leg 5 (6,776 nm) Position Report (21:40 UTC)
1. Team Brunel, Bouwe Bekking (NED), 4194.7 nm Distance to Finish
2. MAPFRE, Xabi Fernandez (ESP), 3.7 nm Distance to Lead
3. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Ian Walker (GBR), 11.1 nm DTL
4. Team Alvimedica, Charlie Enright (USA), 14.1 nm DTL
5. Dongfeng Race Team, Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 29.2 DTL
6. Team SCA, Sam Davies (GBR), 123.6 nm DTL
7. Team Vestas Wind, Chris Nicholson (AUS), Did not start

Race website – Tracking – Scoreboard – Videos – Crew list

Background: The 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race began in Alicante, Spain on Oct. 11 with the final finish on June 27 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Racing the new one design Volvo Ocean 65, seven teams will be scoring points in 9 offshore legs to determine the overall Volvo Ocean Race winner. Additionally, the teams will compete in 10 In-Port races at each stopover for a separate competition – the Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Series. The fifth leg, from Auckland, NZL to Itajaí, Brazil (6,776 nm), began March 18 with an ETA of approximately April 4.