News has just come through that Tyco, leading the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race until yesterday morning, has lost her rudder. The skipper, Kevin Shoebridge explains what happened in a radio interview:

“We were sailing along earlier today in about 25 knots of breeze, jib reaching. We heard a loud bang from the back of the boat,” he said. It was quickly clear that the problem was with the rudder. “When we inspected it we realised that some of the carbon taping on the front of the rudder shaft had let go,” said Shoebridge.

“About and hour ago” reported Shoebridge at 2200. “We heard another bang, much louder. Now the rudder shaft is very close to sheering off. The shaft has become very unstable with no sideways support and it looked as if it would basically just snap,” said a clearly distraught Shoebridge.

“We pulled the sails down and got the emergency rudder going over the back. We got all the emergency equipment going, getting the pumping equipment ready and getting all the watertight doors sealed. Now we’ll just wait for daylight and make a plan.” Close to tears, he went on, “We are probably going to head back to South Africa.”