B&Q has suffered damage to her central bow after being struck by a motor launch while berthed at East Cowes Marina yesterday.

On Sunday morning a Nelson motor launch struck the 75ft trimaran directly on the central bow damaging the sacrifical crash box as it was trying to manoeuvre on to the dock at East Cowes. No one was hurt in the incident and B&Q’s boat captain, Loik Gallon, was on board at the time.

The boat team are now assessing the damage and whether the repair can be made whilst the trimaran is still in the water. It is hoped that this incident will not have any significant impact on the trimaran’s programme, although it will depend on the length of the repair.

“It’s a busy river here and these things can happen,” said Ellen. “The main thing is no one was hurt and the guys are now looking at how and how quickly we can get the repair done,” said B&Q skipper, Ellen MacArthur.