Kostecki's Illbruck closes in as Dalton's problems mount

The relentless pursuit of Grant Dalton was paying dividends for John Kostecki as he took Illbruck to less than 15 miles from Amer Sports One in the closing stages of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race to Cape Town yesterday.

Dalton is already suffering. Important sails have blown out, which could worsen as he nearsSouth Africa and require him to race upwind. Both his masthead halyard locks failed before the halfway stage of the 7,350-mile leg from Southampton, which ruled out effective use of his big Code Zero headsails and may cost him the unexpected victory that looked to be within his grasp. The chasing three boats are all strung out behind the lead pair, while the final trio is falling further behind. Email jokes about eating each other barely conceal the reality of food supplies running out, as the leg is in its fifth week and, for some, could move into a sixth.

That would leave very little time, beyond the fifth week, to turn round the boats and give crews time to recover before leg two to Sydney.