Home straight

Last gybes made for Jules Verne Trophy contenders as IDEC Sport collides with UFO

Spindrift 2 and IDEC Sport are now on the home straight to the Lizard-Ouessant finish line of their Jules Verne Trophy attempts that both began on Sunday 22 November.

At 1000 UTC Spindrift 2 had 120 miles to go to the finish line and IDEC Sport 190 miles. To the southwest of Ireland, Spindrift 2 made her final gybe for the finish line at 0430 this morning, followed around one hour later by IDEC Sport. Both boats are now on starboard gybe in around 30 knots from the WSW. The wind is forecast to drop and veer slightly between now and the time they cross the finish line this afternoon.

IDEC Sport has been hampered overnight, when, her team reports, that she hit an unidentified floating object. The port rudder is broken.

At around 0300 this morning, just over 130 miles southwest of Ireland in heavy seas, her crew heard two big bangs, indicating that they had hit an unidentified floating object (a container, plank of wood, or something else?).

Once they had got over the scare, inspection proved that the port rudder was broken. Now on starboard tack (which will take them to the finish), only the central rudder can be used to steer the boat. Despite this, six hours after suffering this damage, IDEC SPORT was still making 30 knots towards the finish. She is due to finish at around 1900.