New class breaks 600-mile barrier

As a second
of the new MOD 70-foot trimarans suffered damage to an underwater foil, the new
leader of the Krys Ocean Race from New York to Brest, Yann Guichard’s
Spindrift, rattled off 639.9 miles in 24 hours.

But Sidney Gavignet reported that he was able only to use about 70 per cent of Oman Sail’s performance and that the damaged foil, which had been detached, would have to be inspected when his crew, which includes Britain’s Brian Thompson, reaches a Brittany which will be in festival mode for Bastille Day this weekend.

Over 23 miles astern of Guichard, Sébastien Josse at the helm of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild was keeping up the pressure as conditions were forecast to ease – making high speeds more manageable – but, so far, Michel Desjoyeaux in Foncia has been unable to launch a sustained attack and Stève Ravussin, in Race for Water, has also had to nurse his boat along after breaking a daggerboard.

In Porto, British Olympian Leigh McMillan skippering The Wave, Muscat, comfortably won an enthusiastically attended Extreme 40 regatta in Porto on the Douro River with fellow-Omani flagged skipper Morgan Larson in third sandwiching double Olympic gold medallist Roman Hagara, second in Red Bull.