KEY POINTS:
New Zealand skipper Pete Bethune was yesterday steering the trimaran Earthrace through a vicious storm north of Papua New Guinea to reach Koror, in Palau.
"We've been thundering through the Pacific amidst massive cracks of lightning," he said.
Because the start of the record bid was delayed, Earthrace is sailing into the monsoon season.
The boat is more than 4600km ahead of the pace set 10 years ago by the round-the-world record-holder, Cable and Wireless.
