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Orange suffers Jules Verne calamity

Orange: Back on dry land for damage assessment

BREST, France -- An attempt by the maxi-catamaran Orange to break the round-the-world record has suffered a major setback when its mast broke just half an hour into the voyage.

The 33.5m (110ft) catamaran with 14 crew had set off from the French port of Brest on Thursday, hoping to set the pace in the Jules Verne Trophy for the non-stop race.

But French skipper Bruno Peyron, who was the first holder of the trophy nine years ago, was back to the drawing board when the tip of the mast snapped about half a metre from the top as the multihull sped under gennaker at 28 knots in a 20-25 knot wind.

Nobody was hurt and none of the metal fittings or sails were damaged.

The crew carried out emergency proceedings to drop the gennaker. One of the crew was sent up the mast to free the jammed sail and prevent further damage to the mast.

The boat then changed course for Vannes where she was due to be assessed.

Peyron won the Jules Verne Trophy in 1993, sailing the 26m (85ft) catamaran Commodore Explorer in a time of 76 days, 6 hours and 13 minutes, beginning and ending in Ushant.

In 1997, Olivier de Kersauson, the current Jules Verne Trophy holder, set a new record in 1997 of 71 days, 14 hours and 22 minutes with the 24m (75ft) trimaran Sport Elec.

De Kersauson will sail his new 34m (110ft) maxi trimaran Geronimo in this year's race.

Peyron had been relishing the challenge. Before Thursday's accident he said: "This will be the first true confrontation between two hulls and three hulls of this new generation of maxi multihulls.

"We will have a match between the largest racing trimaran and catamaran in the world."

Kersauson is in Brest with Geronimo, but a setback when the carbon mast broke in early December means that a new mast will not be ready until Monday and may not sail until Wednesday at the earliest.

It was hoped that the two giant multihulls would start together, but Peyron's weather expert identified a favourable pattern on Wednesday.

Both boats are capable of taking several days off the current 71-day Jules Verne record and De Kersauson believes that less then 60 days should be possible.

Such is the speed potential of this new generation of maxi multihulls, if all goes well they will be back in France by April, passing the fleet of Volvo 60ft monuhulls on the way.

The fastest 24-hour run posted by the Volvo 60 foot yachts so far is 464 nautical miles. The monster multihulls have already covered 670 miles in a day and it is possible that one of the two current Jules Verne contenders will top a 700 mile day.