Lighting strike drama as Volvo yachts reach Brazil

The people of Rio de Janeiro gave a belated but enthusiastic welcome to the competing yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race as they finally sailed in to the Brazilian city after being bedevilled by light winds.

Five of the six yachts that embarked on the fourth and longest leg from Wellington, New Zealand, to Rio made it safely into port and the last one was not far behind.

But this latest voyage of the 31,500-mile round-the-world race was not without incident. Mid-ocean drama Following Movistar's mid-ocean drama in which it took on water - forcing the crew to send out a distress message saying they were in danger of sinking - lightning struck the top of Ericsson's mast, frying the boat's electronics.

Having been up with the pack at the beginning of the fourth leg, Ericsson's tired and frustrated crew finally inched their way across the line in Rio's Guanabara Bay.

Heading the yachts into port after 20 days and 6,700 nautical miles from Wellington was Dutch vessel ABN Amro One - the overall leader of the race after recording its third victory in four legs. It finished 60 miles and almost four hours ahead of second-placed American yacht Pirates of Caribbean. Dutch boat ABN Amro Two finished third and Brasil 1 was fourth.

Brasil 1 had been in second place in the final approach to Rio, but in a dramatic sprint finish with less than 55 miles to go it was overhauled by Pirates of the Caribbean and by ABN Amro Two.

The exciting climax to the leg meant that only 16 hours separated the leaders from fifth-placed Ericsson.

Spain's Movistar was limping home four days behind the rest with keel problems that had forced the crew into Ushuaia in Argentina for repairs.

The yachts were several days overdue in to Rio after enjoying good winds and high-speed sailing in the Southern Ocean, only to be frustrated by light and unstable winds for the final 1,000 miles.

At times sailing speeds were down to under 2 knots, compared with more than 40 knots recorded as they faced a stern test of their skills negotiating the bumpy demands of Cape Horn. Sweden's Ericsson proved wrong the old saying that lighting never strikes twice.

The yacht was struck by lightning during a downpour 18 hours out of Rio. Earlier in Melbourne, shore crewmember Tim Dean was taken to hospital after suffering a shock while he was up the mast in a thunderstorm.

In the latest strike, skipper Neal McDonald reported that the yacht took a direct hit on the top of the rig. Hostile waters He said: "We have destroyed most electronics on the boat and were without any sailing instruments, navigation computers, radar, VHF and other navigational gear."

For each of the crews, the fourth leg - through some of the world's most hostile waters - was tough, tiring and psychologically demanding.

The yachts are each equipped with Inmarsat communications. The crews will now enjoy a hard-earned rest in Rio before they set sail on April 2 on the 5,000-mile fifth leg to Baltimore/Annapolis in the US, where they are due to arrive on April 17.

During the Rio stopover they will compete in an in-shore race on March 25.

Inmarsat is taking the opportunity to showcase its new BGAN service, which will be launched in the America's in April, along with its most advanced maritime service - Fleet F77 - which provides global voice and high-speed fax and data services at up to 128kbps.

Inmarsat is an official communications sponsor of the eight-month Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Vigo, Spain, last November and is due to end in Gothenburg on June 17.

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