Ice warning for sailors

THE Volvo Ocean Race fleet has been dodging icebergs, windless parking lots and a storm front as it continues its charge across the Southern Ocean to Melbourne.

Gusts in excess of 50 knots have been recorded and boat speeds inching towards 40 knots in high-speed periods of racing in the dramatic leg through one of the most hostile pieces of water in the world in the leg from Cape Town.

For the safety of competitors, race officials were forced to move the Antarctica Ice Exclusion Zone after learning off a large iceberg to the northeast of the Kerguelen Islands.

“The safety of the crews is our first priority,” race director Phil Lawrence said.