The Clipper Round the World racer CVA24 LMAX Exchange has suffered an unexpected reversal of fortune. The LMAX Exchange crew handily won the first leg of the race from London to Rio, 100 miles ahead of its closest competitor. Now the boat is hard aground on a sandy beach 42 miles southwest of Marina da Gloria, in Rio de Janeiro. According to the Clipper Race site, CV24 LMAX Exchange was transferring to another marina to be lifted for the application of new hull branding when the incident occurred around midnight local time last night. There were no injuries.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is with our Race Office team on site with CV24 which ran aground on a sandy outcrop 42 miles southwest of Marina da Gloria. He reports that the only damage appears to be the starboard rudder, which can be repaired.

Sir Robin said: “The hull is intact and the boat is secured by its anchor. We will remain on site to await the arrival of heavier equipment to get her off.”

In its twenty year history, the only Clipper Round the World Race yacht ever to sink during the race was the ironically named Cork, which was lost after striking a reef near the small Indonesian island of Gosong Mampango in 2010.

This year’s race was marked by the first fatality in race history, when Andrew Ashman, 49, a paramedic from Orpington, Kent was killed after being struck in the head while sail handling on the fourth day of the race on the IchorCoal (CV21).