atlantic

Eastern Atlantic - Amazing that it's only one week in, and nearly a third of the boats sailing in the Vendée Globe fleet have had to turn back.  Tough storm conditions and bleeding edge boats don't always mix well, and in the rush for last-minute preparations, some of the IMOCA Open 60's simply weren't ready.  Luckily, though some of the boats are in bad shape, the injuries reported were mostly in the form of bangs, bruises, wrenched muscles and tired backs.

Canary Islands - Francis Joyon left Cadiz, Spain yesterday, sailing his famous maxi-trimaran yacht IDEC for a new world trans-Atlantic record on the historic Discovery Route from Cadiz to San Salvador in the Bahamas - the same route it is assumed Christopher Columbus took in 1492. With the 'round the world solo record under his belt (set in January), Joyon is aiming to break the Discovery Route time set by Thomas Coville on Sodeb'O, and it's going to be a tough

Newfoundland, Canada - It has been a slog for the boats sailing in the 2008 Transat Quebec Saint Malo, and a miserable one at that. With the trimaran Crêpes Whaou being the first boat to clear Newfoundland, the speeds are beginning to pick up, and the sprint across the Atlantic has begun.