Steve Fossett and team aboard the 125ft super-cat Cheyenne have made a decision not to go ahead with the planned start of the Jules Verne Challenge this morning.

According to Stuart Radnofsky from the Challenge office, the team was preparing for a possible 0900 departure from Plymouth but although the wind currently looks good, the pattern is the for the wind to become unfavourably light. This could have meant an abandonment once they’d reached Portugal. The latest forecast however, shows a monster low tracking across the Atlantic which should give the team an opportunity to leave, possibly on 28 January.

Radnofsky commented: “It was fairly marginal this morning and we decided we’re not that crazy. It would have meant setting off at 0900 this morning into 50kts of wind and 25ft seas. The plan now is to announce a week’s leave for the crew and give them some time off to prepare for the big one.”

To break the Jules Verne record, Team Cheyenne has to beat Bruno Peyron’s (sailing Orange in 2002) time of 64 days, 8 hours, 35 minutes, 24 seconds. Keep an eye on yachtingworld.com for Team Cheyenne’s latest movements.