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Amer Sports Too settles plan

Amer Sports Too was damaged during the seventh leg of the Volvo Ocean Race

LA ROCHELLE, France -- Amer Sports Too skipper Lisa McDonald has decided on a plan she hopes will get the crew to France in time for the start of leg eight of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The all-female crew was roughly 400 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, when the mast broke on leg seven of the round-the-world race.

The crew opted to head for Halifax and get a ship to tow the yacht to Europe rather than travel another 2,500 miles across the Atlantic.

To finish the race, Amer SportsToo must be fitted with a new mast, which is in England, and reach the starting point, La Rochelle, before the next leg begins on May 25.

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A transport ship is towing the yacht to Liverpool, England, where it is expected to arrive on Tuesday, according to the race's official Web site.

It is then expected to be towed to the Camper and Nicholson boatyard at Gosport along the English coast, where it is due to arrive on Thursday.

If all goes according to plan, the new mast -- which has been in storage at the Camper and Nicholson yard -- will be fitted on Friday.

McDonald told the Web site she was confident the work could be done in time and the yacht prepared for the next leg of the race.

"The crew is on fire -- absolutely determined to get to the start in excellent shape. We expect it will take four days to sail to La Rochelle, giving us an (estimated time of arrival) of May 22. The full race crew will be on board for the delivery," she said.