Mike Golding was only two miles from the front of the field this morning when the main halyard broke on his "Ecover" and the sail swept all over the deck.
Golding was able to fall back on a reserve case that had already been cut into the mast fairly quickly, but it is not dimensioned in such a way that the Briton could enforce it as strongly as actually necessary. So he is currently waiting for a good moment to climb the mast and cut in a reserve case. To do this, he wants to set one of the larger light wind sails to keep the boat stable on course.
The main halyard on "Ecover" is - as with most Open 60s - 2: 1 stocky: The falling end is attached to the mast top, goes from there to the sail head, where it is deflected upwards again by a block. From the mast top it then runs back to the mast base and then to the clamps in the cockpit. For a permanent replacement, Golding must therefore attach a new halyard to the mast top and there with a splice. An action that could cost the British a few hours. Hopefully he won't lose touch with the top duo.