Equipment failure has again forced Stanley Paris to abandon his attempt to solo circumnavigate the globe.
The 77-year-old former Dunedin resident is almost at the southern coast of South Africa, but the top quarter of Kiwi Spirit's mainsail has separated along a seam from the rest of the sail.
''This is not repairable by me at sea, and given the gales I can expect before I round the tip of South Africa, it is once again not advisable to continue,'' he said, from the yacht yesterday.
''This is, of course, a big disappointment to me and to many who have wished me well. But that is life.''
It is the second time Dr Paris has failed to break the late Dodge Morgan's Bermuda-to-Bermuda world record of 150 days, set in 1986.
Dr Paris is now heading for Cape Town, for repairs before a crew sails Kiwi Spirit back to the United States.
