Yves Parlier seems to have sorted out the early problems he had with his new, radical 60ft hydroplane catamaran Médiatis Région Aquitaine, and is now showing off the boat’s true potential see previous Médiatis Région Aquitaine news story here . Okay, he missed breaking the 24-hour record he attempted on Monday but if the speeds he clocked up – averaging 30kts over seven hours – are anything to go by, it won’t be long before he has a new record under his belt.

After last year’s failed attempt at the Transat, Parlier has spent the winter refining the cat including reducing her overall weight by 700kg and modifying her foils and sail plan. Happy with the result of the modifications Parlier set sail from Las Palmas early on Monday on an attempt at breaking the ‘540 miles in 24 hours’ record Laurent Bourgnon established in 1994 on Primagaz during his crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Early indications, in the 39kts of breeze, looked good for Parlier as he managed to clock up an outstanding average of 30kts for more than seven hours and was, in the early part of the afternoon, 30 miles ahead. However, later in the day Parlier hit some unstable condition, decided to put in a reef and in doing so gybed unexpectedly breaking four battens.

Parlier, aborted the attempt and is now enroute back to Las Palmas to carry out repairs to the sail and prepare for a second attempt as soon as a weather window allows.