Ericsson 4, racing in leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race, has dropped off trimmer / helmsman Tony Mutter / NZL in the Cape Verde Islands as the team takes every precaution with his knee that has become infected.

On Thursday, the team medics onboard the race yacht, Phil Jameson and Stu Bannatyne, were called to put their pre-race medical training into use as they drained some fluid from the infected area.

But the injury did not respond to treatment as well as they hoped and the team took the opportunity of their proximity to the Cape Verde Islands to evacuate Mutter off the boat. This was the recommended course of action by the Volvo Ocean Race medical team. The next reasonable opportunity to get him off the boat wouldn't come until the rounding of Fernando de Noronha, an Island off the coast of Brazil, some four days away.

This evening, the team made a move off its heading to sail towards Mindelo on the Island of Sao Vicente. Mutter was then transferred to a fishing vessel to be taken ashore for medical supervision.

Skipper Torben Grael / BRA said the decision to ensure proper medical treatment for Mutter was easy.

"The race doctor told us that Tony had to be evacuated because the leg had become significantly more swollen over night, and the uncertainty of how quick his condition will improve," said skipper Torben Grael. "Both he and I agreed that it would be a prudent and precautionary measure to evacuate him from the boat. He needs to get proper treatment. In addition once we have passed the Cape Verde Islands, we have a period of some 1,300 nautical miles of open ocean ahead of us."

"Our onboard medics, Phil and Stu, have done a great job. They were told by the race doctor that had we been in the Southern Ocean, they would have to give Tony intravenous fluids with antibiotics," Grael said.

Tony Mutter is understandably very disappointed.

"It's a tough call, but given the state of the infection an easy call," said Mutter.

"Bearing in mind that the conditions in which we live onboard are not ideal for dealing with infections, and add to this the increasingly hot and humid conditions as we reach the Equator and the Doldrums, this is for sure the best course of action.

"My priority is to get back to 150 percent fitness and rejoin Ericsson 4 in Cape Town."

The rest of the team turned back towards the race course as soon as the transfer was made, and are again on course towards Fernando de Noronha.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with in-port racing, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race.

Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.