Branson and an experienced 30-strong crew, including British Olympic hero Ben Ainslie, were two days into their crossing when their 100 foot supermaxi yacht Virgin Money hit severe storms.Rico says giving up in the face of disaster is no small thing...
The crew left New York on Monday hoping to reach the Lizard inside the present record of six days 17 hours 52 minutes, set by their own skipper Mike Sanderson, but are now diverting to Bermuda.
Virgin Money was battered by waves of up to forty feet and Force Seven to Force Nine gales.
Branson said "We've just experienced a night from hell when Virgin Money was struck by a massive wave from behind - washing one of our liferafts overboard, damaging the spinnaker, and devastatingly tearing a massive hole in our mainsail. Luckily all of the crew were harnessed in and no one was swept overboard, which is all that matters at the end of the day. But this has been magnificently organised and we live to fight another day. Perhaps we might be ready to sail again in another couple of weeks. The conditions were just too difficult this time.''
24 October 2008
Sometimes not doing it is the right thing
Seems Sir Richard Branson has abandoned his latest attempt to break the trans-Atlantic sailing record:
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