AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Abu Dhabi’s faltering campaign in the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race endured another setback Sunday when skipper Ian Walker was forced to suspend racing six hours into the fifth leg with major equipment failure.
A bulkhead for a key sail broke off its mounting after the fifth-placed boat crashed into a huge wave while sailing out towards the Southern Ocean. The boat returned to Auckland for repairs as the rest of the fleet navigated towards stormy conditions having only left the New Zealand port earlier on Sunday to start the leg.
Earlier, the last-placed yacht in the Volvo Ocean Race, China’s Sanya, led the six-boat fleet out of Auckland’s Waitemata Harbor at the start of the leg to Brazil.
