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Record breaking conditions for Volvo Ocean Race fleet

Team Brunel has posted a new 24 hour distance record, but the fast conditions aren’t over and other teams are pushing hard to set a new standard…

Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 2 on board Brunel. 21 May, 2018.
Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 2 on board Brunel. 21 May, 2018.

Team Brunel, at the head of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Day 5 of Leg 9, has provisionally set a new 24-hour distance record in the Volvo Ocean 65 class.

Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 04 on board MAPFRE, Xabi Fernandez, Pablo Arrarte and Sophie Ciszek. 23 May, 2018.
Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 04 on board MAPFRE, Xabi Fernandez, Pablo Arrarte and Sophie Ciszek. 23 May, 2018.

The team blew past the previous record of 550.8 nautical miles set in the last race by Abu Dhabi Racing just after 14:00 UTC on Thursday afternoon.

Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 04 on board Turn the Tide on Plastic. Liz Wardley under water. 23 May, 2018.
Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 04 on board Turn the Tide on Plastic. Liz Wardley under water. 23 May, 2018.

Since then the team has kept adding to the mark. By 15:45 UTC, the new record stood at (provisionally) 560.06 nautical miles.

Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 5 on board Vestas 11th Hour. 24 May, 2018. Nick Dana on the pedals.
Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 5 on board Vestas 11th Hour. 24 May, 2018. Nick Dana on the pedals.

But Brunel isn’t alone. team AkzoNobel is just 6 miles behind Brunel on the Leg 9 leaderboard and has also broken the old standard, and sits about 3 miles behind Brunel in terms of the outright record.

Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 2 on board Team AkzoNobel. Wet and wild morninig. 24 May, 2018
Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, day 2 on board Team AkzoNobel. Wet and wild morninig. 24 May, 2018

Conditions are expected to be conducive for high speeds for several hours yet. Stand by to see who emerges with the new record and where the new standard gets set.

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