Earthrace three quarters of way to World Record
The 78 foot bio-fuelled trimaran Earthrace is now pushing towards the southern tip of Sri Lanka on the 2,000 nautical mile leg from Singapore to Cochin, India. 
'Earthrace approaches Sri Lanka'
TracPlus
While Earthrace had perfect conditions as she ran northwest in the sheltered waters of the Malacca Straits, conditions deteriorated once she reached the Indian Ocean.
The south west monsoonal winds have delivered 20-25 knots and three to four metre seas on the port beam. Not boat breaking, but uncomfortable enough to make the New Zealand skipper Pete Bethune slow the giant wave piercer from the 22 knots she's been averaging under the power of her two fuel efficient Cummins Mercruiser 540 hp engines, down to a little over 18 knots for the last 24 hours.
Bethune has already proved Earthrace has the ability to smash the 1998 Cable & Wireless Round the World record of 74 days 23 hours and 53 minutes by at least 10 days, as long as he keeps the boat together.
Earthrace has had two bad passages from the Hawaii to the Marshall Islands and from Palau to Singapore, where the entire record attempt was in danger as Earthrace was reduced to just one engine, and he is determined to ensure that does not happen again.
Just as the Sydney to Hobart big boats skippers know you have to get to the finish line to win the race, Bethune knows his priority is to preserve the boat if he is to take the decade old World Record.
On Day 45 the Kiwi mariner reported Earthrace had travelled 438 nautical miles in the last 24 hours, averaging 18.25 knots.
At the time of writing she is now three quarters of the way around the world and is an astonishing 2,225 miles ahead of the Cable & Wireless pace, even after the three day stopover in Singapore, during which her port drive shaft and propeller were replaced. 
Early in this leg the Earthrace crew was contemplating powering round the northern tip of Sri Lanka and then down to the bottom of India, but routing expert Bob McDavitt advised Bethune that he had to stay south as much as possible to improve her angle into the waves. Up ahead the monsoonal winds bend more westerly as they approach the Indian coast, so the waves may still be ahead of the beam for the last few 400 miles of the run into Cochin.
You can listen to the full report sat phone report from Earthrace below. 
Sat Phone report from Earthrace - Click play button twice to listen
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by Rob Kothe 
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Aldgate, SA
