So much my prediction that Banque Populaire would win the trimaran class in the Transat Jacques Vabre – that thoroughly put the kibosh on them. Yesterday Franck Cammas romped to a new course record in Groupama 2 (4,300 miles in an incredible 10 days 38 minutes) while the Banque Populaire guys finished last night secretly nursing this damage.

As far as I can make out, it’s the sacrificial bow of the main hull. The info so far is that it fell off in ‘an unexplained manner’. Photos of the boat arriving in Salvador show the bow fothered (how about that for a old-fashioned sailing ship term?) with a storm sail.

Well, I guess that explains the boatspeed differential.