By Joshua Calhoun

May 1, 2002 With the help of a strong Gulf Stream current, skipper John Kostecki and the crew of illbruck Challenge sailed 484 nautical miles in 24 hours on Tuesday, setting a new monohull world record during leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

"Our crew did a great job of sailing the boat fast and not making any mistakes. We managed to play the gulf stream (sic) well, slightly better than our competitors, which added to our overall boat speed. The gulf stream (sic) push was up to 3 knots at times, " Kostecki reported in his most recent dispatch for the German team's Web site, www.illbruck-challenge.com.

The team's overall average speed for the day was over 20 knots.

The former 24-hour monohull record of 460.1 nautical miles was set just five months ago by Swedish Team SEB during leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race. The record was reportedly broken by a total of four boats this week including SEB.

Though some critics dispute the validity of a record set with the aid of strong currents, John Reed, secretary of the World Sailing Speed Record Council told race officials that the currents are not a factor. "It makes no difference at all. We have one 24-hour record. If you get a bit of help on the way then so be it," he was quoted as saying by the race Web site, www.volvooceanrace.com.

And illbruck, in first place overall, has another goal in mind as they push on from the Chesapeake Bay to La Rochelle, France.

"The team was disappointed with their fourth place finish into Baltimore at the end of Leg 6," said illbruck spokesperson Jane Eagleson. "But when they left the dock on Sunday, they were focused, determined to do well in the long distance leg."