Shortly before noon UTC this Tuesday, as the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild was beating to windward under J3 and full mainsail towards the Strait of Gibraltar, around thirty miles or so to the south-west of Almería, Charles Caudrelier alerted his shore crew to serious damage. The maxi-trimaran had just dismasted, losing more than 17 metres of spar in the process, which equates to half her mast. Having set sail from Antibes forty-eight hours ago, after ranking 2nd in the Finistère Atlantique, the crew aboard the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild were making the return delivery trip to the team’s base in Lorient, Brittany.