Today’s column started out to be about around the world record and race attempts, but 1st some breaking news. The Open 60 Skandia suffered race ending keel damage off Brazil. This means Nick Moloney’s attempt at a unique around the world sailing goal is finished for now. His Offshore Challenges teammate Ellen Macarthur says “I don’t know if he’s got ideas to go again in four years time, based on previous conversations, I doubt that.”

Of course this is also the 2ndSkandia sponsored boat to suffer keel problems in the last month. The boats involved were different, sailing in different hemispheres, one crewed, one solo. It’s coincidence and maybe putting to test the there’s no such thing as bad PR mantra.

It’s certainly more surprising that Nick Moloney’s Skandia suffered damage. For one it already had a Vendee Globe under it’s keel as Kingfisher. Second, this boat has an impeccable reliability record. Third it’s run by a top notch team.

In fact the failed keel was new as of 2002. All these factors make this a real surprise.

Meanwhile the boat’s former skipper Ellen Macarthur is also have a less than ideal South Atlantic experience. Her 5 day lead over Francis Joyon at Cape Horn is now a deficit. Usually making 8.9 knots of boat speed in 8.7 knots of wind is superior. In the world of around the world records it’s not enough to just out sail the wind.

As always Ellen Macarthur is working through issues and maintaining perspective, “Take the record away, and it simply becomes a voyage around the world - add the record again, and it becomes a very real and very arduous race…a race against time, my invisible competitor - but above all - a race against my own capabilities and myself…” & “But we have what we have, we cannot alter the weather…The usual -more challenges.”

While Macarthur and the Vendee Globe fleet sail north Orange II is sailing down the Atlantic, having covered 646 miles on Day 1. The Bruno Peyron led boat is out to break Cheyenne’s outright around the world record from last winter.

In the middle east other maxi multis are gathering for the Oryx Quest around the world race.

There is certainly some debate about why Orange II has not joined in the race format. While some of them are legal or personality based, there are other reasons.

Sailing on a record attempt at a time of choosing puts Orange II into line to hold the absolutist of all records…fastest around the world. No room for ambiguity.

Prior to starting her campaign for records with B&Q Ellen Macarthur said: “”All you can do is sail the boat at its best potential all the time and get the weather as best you can at the beginning. That’s all you can do. It’s about mental strength and hanging on in there.”

Record setting is a binary situation. You either break the record (1) or don’t break the record (0). It’s also a zero sum situation in which breaking the record for you is a gain for you and failing to do so is a win for the record holder.

In a situation such as the Oryx Quest there are many possibilities, safety in numbers etc. Depending upon circumstances a certain finish might be a moral victory, or to comeback and finish 3rd might be just fine. The potential outcomes aren’t as finite and narrow as a record attempt.

For the now I’ll show a bias towards the Macarthur’s and Peyron’s of the sailing world, for risking more in their endeavors…

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