Midway through the longest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, Telefonica Blue, a Spanish competitor, suffered a broken forestay. Quick action by the team saved the rig from collapse.
From BYMNews.com:
In an email sent from the boat at 22:48 GMT, Bekking graphically described the incident and underlined the team’s desire to continue.
“We were ripping along, making great speeds in 15 knots of breeze, when all of sudden a loud bang was heard from the rig. My first instinct was to look up, but I saw that the mast was still in one piece. A fraction later, the headsail dropped in the water.” he wrote.
“Forestay broken. It was around 06:30 (17:30 GMT) in the morning, Jono (Swain) was driving and his quick reaction to bear away saved the rig. We put some halyards on the bow, to stabilize the rig, as it was sweeping like a spaghetti pole.
