Giant catamaran back at sea

Team Philips is afloat again

The world's largest pure carbon structure, a giant catamaran is back on the water after overcoming the latest in a series of setbacks.

The 120ft vessel, called Team Philips, is the size of the centre court at Wimbledon and cost £4m to build.

It was unveiled by the Queen in March but suffered a series of accidents during sea trials.

The craft's bow snapped during trials in the Atlantic

In its first outing, the craft's bow snapped off prompting concerns that its radical design may have been flawed.

During the second trial, its masts developed problems forcing the crew to return to port in Dartmouth.

The yacht was towed to skipper Pete Goss's boatyard in Totnes, Devon, where engineers discovered the damage was superficial and successfully repaired it.

'Ready for The Race'

Victoria Williams, of Team Philips, said they were now preparing for the event known as "The Race" - a round the world event which starts in Barcelona, Spain, next January.

"The small hiccups we have had are just the kind of teething problems which you will always get with a prototype.

Pete Goss says vessel is up to The Race

"The boat will do the talking now and we will be able to show just what she can do," she said.

But there have been concerns about safety.

One crew member left last month saying Team Philips was not ready to compete in The Race.

But Team Philips' skipper, Pete Goss, has insisted it is up to the challenge.

The catamaran will be setting out on more sea trials early next week.