Australian Class 40 sailor, Rupert Henry, reported today that he has structural failure of one of the frames in the front of his yacht, Eora, so has decided to withdraw from the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe for safety reasons.
The damage first appeared on Saturday and Henry, from Sydney, made an on-board repair to this initial failure. However, the failure worsened again last night after crossing the weather front which brought the boats head-on into the swell from the previous south-west wind after tacking onto starboard.
Given that there is another front due to cross the fleet later today, it seemed unlikely to be able to reach the Azores for repair without risking further damage to the hull and instead sailed to Cape Finisterre.
Original article here
