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Amer Too's Atlantic misery

Skipper McDonald thinks the problem was due to technical failure

LONDON, England -- Amer Sports Too is heading to Nova Scotia in the hope of finding a ship to carry her to Europe after losing her mast on leg seven of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The all-girl crew was roughly 400 miles south east of Halifax, Nova Scotia, when the rig fell on Wednesday. No one was injured in the incident.

Skipper Lisa McDonald told the race's official Web site: "We're all gutted, everyone wants to do well, and we had high expectations for this leg."

The crew had two options: travel another 2,500 miles across the Atlantic or head for the nearest port of Halifax and look for a cargo ship to take the yacht to La Rochelle, France -- the starting place of leg eight.

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They have been warned there is a depression forming over Nova Scotia, bringing with it severe gale force winds, but the team could expect equally strong conditions if they continued to Europe, the Web site said.

Amer Too is currently heading towards Halifax at a speed of 10 knots.

McDonald said the crew had recovered the rig and sails and had lashed the mast, which broke just above the second spreaders, to the deck. A 10-metre section of the 26-metre mast is still standing.

She said at the time of the incident they were sailing under spinnaker in only 12 knots of southwesterly breeze.

"There was a loud bang and the mast came down. We don't know why it broke. Once we have sorted ourselves out and got under way again we will take a very close look. There's enough mast left to set up a reasonably effective jury rig," she said.

The remaining seven boats in the Volvo fleet are sailing at breathtaking speed towards the east.

The leading boat, Illbruck, has just reached the south east corner of the ice exclusion zone, and is now able to turn onto a north easterly course and head straight for La Rochelle, 1,800 miles away.

The next leg of the race starts at La Rochelle on May 25.