The Race reviewed

Innovation Explorer finishes and Mark Chisnell takes a step back

Innovation Explorer safely crossed the finish line just before midday yesterday, completing The Race in 64 days, 22 hours and 32 minutes - 2 days 15 hours and 36 minutes more than Club Med. These are the only two boats that will complete the course in line with Bruno Peyron's original concept - non-stop.
All those behind them have halted for one reason or another, although in the case of Warta Polpharma it was only to repair failed satellite communications equipment that had been provided by the Race Office. But the ability of this boat to do a non-stop circumnavigation was never in doubt - it set the original Jules Verne Trophy mark at a wafer under eighty days.

What was raising such an air of anticipation before The Race started was the performance of the new maxi cats - the three Gilles Ollier boats, Club Med, Innovation Explorer and Team Adventure; and the Morrelli and Melvin designed PlayStation. With PlayStation retired hurt and Team Adventure trailing in over five thousand miles behind her sisterships after two major repair stops, this is probably as good a time as any for a first review of Peyron's baby - so how did The Race do?

No questions on the performance side - Club Med and Innovation Explorer have set a new standard for ocean passage making. Bruno Peyron has done us all a favour in creating the environment that got these boats built. Although not fitting the current speed record rules for a non-stop circumnavigation, Club Med's time will be the mark when the next round of Jules Verne Trophy attempts begin - the race is now on for the first to complete a 60 day circumnavigation.

Many of the doubts about the reliability, safety and sea-keeping abilities of this new generation of maxi cats have also been put to rest. Dalton had no concerns about the safety of his boat after the finish. But neither PlayStation nor Team Adventure cut it - though the sail and daggerboard failures aboard PlayStation don't seem directly related to the maxi-cat concept. And Team Adventure's hull failure was disastrous only to Cam Lewis's ambition to win.

But the boat still got to Cape Town for repair under her own steam and the damage may have had a lot to do with that very same ambition, and Lewis's Pepsi Max approach. Nevertheless, the emerging damage list from Club Med - including core failure on the main beam - indicates that even the best sailed and prepared of these boats was only just up to the task.

The list of drop-outs through injury is also testimony to the marginal nature of racing these huge machines at these speeds, through such open water. But, just as with the first Whitbread, it's been shown that it can be done, where these pioneers have led, others will surely follow. As many said before the start, you've got to have a first Race, before you can have a second. Non-stop, fully-crewed races round the globe in huge multi-hulls are possible, the question for Bruno Peyron is - where next?

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