NICK MOLONEY sets out on his third attempt on the Jules Verne record tomorrow after the broken mast on Bruno Peyron's maxi-catamaran Orange was fixed in record time.

Just 20 minutes after crossing the Ushant start line 12 days' ago, the attempt was brought to a shuddering halt when the crew saw the mast break off, forcing them back into the yard at Brest.

They watched as rival Frenchman Oliver de Kersauson set out on his Jules Verne campaign in sister ship, Geronimo.

After a lightning fast start, the slowdown in the Doldrums was welcomed among the crew of Orange, reported Moloney (pictured below).

A member of Ellen MacArthur's Cowes based Offshore Challenges team, he said: "Of course we're all pretty happy, and a bit relieved as well that de Kersauson is having a tough time in the Doldrums... after his first three days at high mileage, it was getting hard for us to take here on land!.

"We've been watching the days tick by here, wondering if we were going to get the repair done in time before the Southern Ocean winter gate closed."

The pressure was on to get the mast fixed before the start date excluded their chances of making a safe passage through the worsening conditions in the south.

That deadline has been met and Moloney, who has had two false starts, one in Steve Fossett's PlayStation and the more recent one in Orange, now gets to achieve his life long ambition of racing against time around the world.