Foncia breaks her masthead

Michel Desjoyeaux's IMOCA 60 heads for Cape Town in Barcelona World Race

Michel Desjoyeaux and François Gabart contacted the Barcelona World Race organisers at 0349 UTC this morning to report that the top of the mast of their IMOCA 60 Foncia had broken at around 0300GMT.

Foncia was lying in second place in the Barcelona World Race at the time had been sailing under mainsail with one reef and staysail in 30 knots of southwesterly wind.

The crew of Foncia have reported that they are both safe and unhurt. They are sailing towards Cape Town initially at around 10 knots.

The top of the mast is reported to have broken off between the solent forestay and the staysail forestay.

The broken section of the mast has been saved and is on the deck, leaving around 24m of mast remaining. There is no other damage noted.

At the time of the incident, Foncia was at 41deg13S 09deg03E at a distance from Cape Town of 619 miles