CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Ericsson 4 won the first leg of the grueling round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, arriving in Cape Town's harbor on a light breeze early Sunday after a gale-lashed trip from Spain that covered 7,840 nautical miles.

The international team skippered by Torben Grael covered the stretch in 21 days, 17 hours and 54 minutes to give it 14 points, ahead of nearest rival PUMA of the United States.

Propelled by a cold front and high winds, Ericsson 4 earlier shattered the 24-hour distance record by covering 590 miles. This was despite losing crew member Tony Mutter who was evacuated with an infected knee just six days into the trip.

"We had a wonderful journey, very rough weather for a couple of days with a lot of speed," said Grael, a Brazilian of Danish descent. "I am very, very happy with everything we achieved."

In the previous five competitions, the winner of the first leg has gone on to win overall.

Eight teams in high-tech monohull yachts are competing for one of sailing's most prestigious prizes. There are 10 legs and the race is due to finish in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June.

The crews will stay in Cape Town until Nov. 15. They will then follow a new race route to Cochin, India, aiming to steer well clear of the pirate-infested east coast of Africa. After that they will head to China.

In an e-mail on the race organizers Web site, PUMA skipper Ken Read predicted a very tight, very tough race in the coming months.

"We know that there are teams better polished out there and we need to get better to beat them. We understand the rigors of what it will take to win this race better. And our prerace view that the race will be close and the boats will be pushed harder than ever has rung very true."

Ericsson 4 bowman Phil James said the sailing from the southern Spanish port of Alicante to Cape Town was the "best sailing I've done in my life."

"Beats the America's Cup, any day," added the three-time Cup veteran. "Loved every minute of it."

On the web: www.volvooceanrace.org