Whilst sailing in the Indian Ocean, 860 miles ahead of the record time, the men of Gitana Team informed their shore crew of damage to the starboard float rudder of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.
After a complete inspection of the boat, the cleaver fell off: the appendage bit is seriously damaged, making it impossible to use the rudder on this tack. Unable to make repairs at sea, the crew was forced to end their Jules Verne Trophy record attempt.
The disappointment is all the more intense as the crew of 6 sailors had set two new reference times on this first part of the course.
First the Cape of Good Hope after 11 days 9 hours and 53 minutes at sea, 11 hours and 55 minutes better than the previous record, set by Banque Populaire in 2012. Then 4 hours later, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild rounded the Cape of the Hands and swung into the Indian Ocean still with the best reference time, but above all with a lead of 1 day 7 hours and 19 minutes over the current Jules Verne Trophy holder.
These records, they had dedicated them to Benjamin de Rothschild, founder of the Gitana stable, died on Friday 15 January 2021 .
