Damage forces Transat withdrawals

MacArrthur and Gaultier are currently in fifth place

Two teams have pulled out of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from France to Brazil after serious damage to their boats.

French skipper Karine Fauconnier and co-skipper Franck Proffit suffered severe sail damage to their new trimaran Sergio Tacchini after a manoeuvre went wrong.

They are now heading for their home port in Brittany, fearing their boat could dismast if they keep racing.

Each wave taken and passed brings a sigh of relief, and each squall brings a newly-held breath

Ellen MacArthur

Fauconnier, who was also hit on the head during the manoeuvre, said: "It was a hard decision to make but it is better to do so."

One of the monohulls, Rage de Vivre, skippered by Loïck Pochet and Patrick Tabarly, also pulled out after breaking a rudder.

The 31 boats remaining are facing a tough ride, with the multihulls catching up on the monohulls, which left Le Havre a day earlier.

Howling

The fast-sailing fleet is already sailing off Portugal.

Britain's Ellen MacArthur, co-skipper of Foncia Kingfisher, currently lying in fifth place, said: "It's been incredible.

"It feels like you are balancing on a tightrope with the wind howling past every part of you.

"As you grip the side of the seat with one hand, and the tip of the tiller with the other, you think of little but protecting the person who is sleeping below.

"It is your look-out. You are in control of this huge thing, which is eating up the miles towards the south.

"Each wave taken and passed brings a sigh of relief, and each squall brings a newly-held breath."

In the demanding downwind conditions, the trimaran crews have had little chance to rest since the race began last Saturday.

Things are little easier on the 60ft monohulls.

"It is hard sailing and heavy going as the waves are steep," said Britain's Mike Golding, in the lead with Irish co-skipper Marcus Hutchinson on Ecover.

Ecover, which is being chased by Brittany's Roland Jourdain, has covered more than 400 miles in the last 24 hours.