None of the crew on board Team SEB could have anticipated last night’s unfortunate scenario which resulted in them having to drop the mainsail for five hours in 38 knots to repair a split headboard car.

With only the jib (foresail) up while the repair was carried out, the boat made slow progress. The high winds and massive windshift which forced a tack on to starboard made the repairs difficult to complete. The reefed mainsail is now lashed to the mast but Gunna Krantz is concerned: “We have an unsafe situation because we cannot hoist or drop the main without sending somebody up the mast.”