Orange II in trouble again

Bruno Peyron's maxi-catamaran suffers more teething problems

06:00 GMT this morning, Bruno Peyron's Orange II was sailing along at 29 knots heading south, past the Cape Verde Islands. Since the beginning of the night a strong vibration could be felt on board and this kept getting louder - enough to be of particular concern for the crew.

At 07:00, Bruno Peyron decided to stop the boat off Santo Antao Island (northwest of Santo Vincente), and sent a crew member into the water for an inspection under the hull.

Vladimir Dzalba-Lyndis, a professional diver, was tasked with this job and having inspected the underside of the hull uncovered the source of the vibration. The fairing which protects the propeller shaft (S Drive) had cracked through allowing water to get in at high speed. Sailing fast creates large vibrations and the water pressure threatens to cause delamination with the hull. There is no way the crew can carry on racing in such a state and after discussion, the decision is taken to try and find a sheltered place to repair the damaged part.

At 11:00, Bruno Peyron announced that he would take the maxi-catamaran to the volcanic island of Fogo, located south of the Cape Verde archipelago, 90 miles away. "We do not want to go all the way to the Equator with this problem, because we would risk more severe damage. The boat is not in danger at the moment - the breakage is a minor one - but if we cannot fix the problem ourselves, then it's the end of the race for us. We'll take shelter under the Fogo volcano (14°51 N - 24°30 W) and try to make a repair from underwater. But what are the odds? And how long will it take? We do not have any answers to give at the moment. We hope to reach Fogo Island before nightfall in order to start working. Then we will get a better idea of the chances we have to get back in the race. One thing is for sure: we'll fight till the end, because we have a hard time accepting that our journey can end this way. Unfortunately, we won't know until tomorrow, and meanwhile the clock is ticking..."