Disaster for Team Adventure

less than 24 hours into their W-E transatlantic record attempt

Team Adventure's breakage is unusual because it happened aft of the forward cross beam rather than ahead of it.

Although the cause of the breakage is as yet unclear, one possibility is that the boat struck a floating object just below the surface. Another possibility is straightforward structural failure. The Ollier boats are unquestionably light and fast, but there is a feeling that they are under engineered. Can it just be coincidence that Grant Dalton's Club Med broke her port bow (admitted forward of the cross beam) on the same record attempt last year? It was this which prompted Dalton to call in another firm of structural engineers, High Modulus, to make modifications to Club Med. Even with these modifications Club Med still suffered major structural damage - the join between the beams and the hulls to give an example - during The Race.