Mar Mostro strikes debris
American team Puma received a warning of the dangers ahead after their boat Mar Mostro hit unidentified debris near the Malacca
Strait, the most hazardous stretch of water the yachts will face in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Before the leading challengers had weaved through the hundreds of commercial ships and tiny unlit fishing vessels on Friday, Puma
reported a significant scare.
Puma's Amory Ross said: "We had distant lightning, several 22-plus knot squalls and a solid thud of something hitting one of the
daggerboards."
Only five nautical miles separates leaders Telefonica, Camper, Groupama and Mar Mostro after more than 1,000
miles racing since leaving the Maldives on Sunday.
The boats are due to arrive at the Chinese port of Sanya on 5 or 6 February.