Just a few days into the second part of their ocean training schedule for the Volvo Ocean Race, Team MoviStar has broken the 24-hour world speed record previously held by Mari Cha IV.

With the aid of a short and simple satellite phone call from the Southern Ocean, MoviStar skipper Bouwe Bekking, communicated that the MoviStar Sailing Team had covered 530 miles in 24 hours. The record was broken while the team was en route to Cape Horn, sailing south-south-east about 2,000 miles from New Zealand.

Bekking commented: “We’re thrilled! The boat and the team are giving great results and the feeling on board is fantastic. We felt confident that we could beat some record, but this was a pleasant surprise.”

Pedro Campos, General Manager of the team added: “The first thing I want to do is to congratulate the whole crew and the team in general for bringing home this incredible record to Spain. This news illustrates the excellent work that’s been carried out up until now. While we want to remain prudent, the news makes us feel quite optimistic in our expectations for the future.

“This is a historic record for sailing. Nobody has ever gone so far in just 24 hours sailing in a single hull boat. And this was just a training session!”