#VG2012 - As another yacht retires from the Vendee Globe from a keel failure - as happened earlier this week to Jean-Pierre Dick's Vorbac-Paprec 3 - Elaine Bunting asks on her Yachting World blog what can be done to work out the flaws.
It's an "immensely complicated" subject, as she points out, "but the simple place to start is that no one - no designer, no engineer and certainly no sailor - wishes to take big risks in this area".
VG yachts have used a variety of materials for their keels, each with their drawbacks in different conditions, so it's impossible to pin the blame on one style over another.
There are also numerous areas where things can go wrong, from design and manufacturing to attachment and other structural problems.
One possible solution suggested by Bunting is to declare a one-design keel which puts none at a disadvantage and would ensure a studier 'failsafe' option - but whether the competing skippers are ready to make the leap is still up in the air.
Yachting World has much more on the story HERE.