Sanderson reclaims speed record

Skipper Mike Sanderson said: "It's been an unbelievable leg. The team spirit has been fantastic and I'm so proud of all the guys.

"We've been pushed hard by our other boat, and it's awesome to see how well they've done."

ABN Amro One clocked 538 nautical miles on Monday, setting a new world record.

Sanderson said: "Between us we clocked some pretty amazing speeds out there and the world record was definitely the icing on the cake.

"The scary thing is that if you ask any of the crew they�ll all tell you that she is still capable of a lot more - and that's the difficulty, knowing when to ease off."

The New Zealander added: "Although we've won this leg we're all very conscious that there's still a long way to go and, as we've already seen, anything can happen.

"For the moment though, we're just looking forward to seeing our families, getting some sleep and grabbing a cold beer!"

Leg one of the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race presented crews with one of the most dramatic starts in the history of the race.

Severe conditions during the first 36 hours caused substantial damage to much of the fleet, including ABN Amro One, who lost their port-side steering pedestal and had a fire in the hold, caused by a short circuit.

Now lying in pole position with 11.5 points, ABN Amro One will be looking to build upon this performance when they embark on the second leg to Melbourne on 2 January.