Breakage ends record attempt

Groupama 3, the 105 ft French trimaran that was on course to set a new record for the fully-crewed around the world dash, has broken an aft beam bulkhead in the mid-Atlantic and is heading slowly for Cape Town.

Skipper Franck Cammas says the giant yacht was averaging 30 knots with a hot Brazilian tailwind when he and his nine crew heard a loud bang. The sails were dropped and an inspection revealed the severe damage.

Groupama 3, which started its attempt to win the Jules Verne Trophy on November 5, is about 1500 nautical miles from Cape Town in the south Atlantic. It is now weathering a storm as it makes its way slowly to the south east.

Cammas says the attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy has been abandoned but he is hopeful that, if the damage can be repaired quickly, the yacht can return to France and start again before the end of January.

"We'd spent the night sailing fast to stay ahead of the front and this morning Thomas Coville and Bruno Jeanjean were on deck when they heard a big 'crack', " Cammas reported by telephone. "There was a small fissure between the aft beam and the port float. Part of the section between the beam and the float, level with the bulkhead, has become detached. As such, structural integrity was reduced by at least half."

Cammas said it was impossible to repair the yacht at sea because of the violent wave motion. He estimates it will take the yacht about a week to reach Cape Town.

The skipper and crew say they are very disappointed as they had runs of up to 700 nautical miles a day across the Atlantic. At the time the bulkhead broke Groupama 3 had a 345 nautical mile lead over the position of the current Jules Verne Trophy record holder, Orange 2.