Team New Zealand's entry Camper suffered the biggest breakdown in the Volvo Yacht Race last night after their headsail tore in two pieces.
The fleet's adrenaline fueled dash through the Pacific in winds up to 34 knots also took its toll on other boats with several teams reporting equipment damage.
The Camper crew quickly hoisted a replacement but saw their speed slip from more than 20 knots to 17 and lost more than 60 nautical miles to leg leaders Groupama while they carried out on board repairs.
Navigator Will Oxley says the 20-hour operation to retrieve the massive sail required the entire crew but had gone off smoothly despite taking place in darkness.
Camper skipper Chris Nicholson confirmed the setback had been costly and says they have probably dropped six miles on average on the last three position reports.
CAMPER has dropped to fourth ahead of fifth placed Abu Dhabi, the fastest boat in the fleet with an average speed of 22.2 knots.
