Sailing: Geronimo misses out on Jules Verne record

Olivier De Kersauson's attempt to break the non-stop round the world record in the Jules Verne Trophy ended in failure yesterday when his yacht Geronimo crossed the finish line off Ushant, a rock off the coast of Brittany, after 68 days 1hr 58min 2sec at sea.

Geronimo's failure means the record – set by Bruno Peyron last year – still stands at 64 days 8hr 37min.

Britain's Ellen MacArthur, who had to withdraw from the record attempt when the mast on Kingfisher 2 snapped in the Southern Ocean last month, expressed sympathy for Kersauson. "I'm gutted for Olivier, it's an incredible journey," she said. "I cannot imagine what it must feel like to have made it round, a feat in itself, but to have not broken the record."

It had been a harsh time in the last few days for Kersauson and his crew to come to terms with missing out. It was his sixth attempt on the Jules Verne record since 1993. He was successful in 1997, setting a new record of 71 days 14hr 22min on board Sport Elec.