It seems when the Earthrace left Barbados bright and early at 7:00 am on 10-3-2007, they may have offended the sea gods, at least that’s according to their skipper, who pinned his propeller’s break to the wrong fruit on board…
— bananas have been bad luck on shipboard since the days when most boats were powered by sail. That was because bananas give off gases that cause other fruit to ripen and become overripe more quickly – a potential disaster in the days when sailors depended on fruit to prevent scurvy.

Bethune said that the person who brought the bananas on board the Earthrace was a landlubber, a passenger who paid to join the first leg of the race.

Apparently, the guest’s ignorance is what saved him from being keelhauled; JK-JK-JK {just kidding}!

Despite the setback as he limps towards Panama, he still is hoping to beat the record of 75 days as the previous record holder did in 1998.

**U P D A T E**

Earthrace made it to Panama; a distance of just under 1300 nautical miles in a about 83 hours (which is slightly between three to four days), this was no mean feat considering their plight –

Skipper Pete Bethune dove into the Caribbean waters with a torch to find the propellers were shredding, some of the holes were as large as a dollar bill.

The most apparent fear was that without propellers Earthrace would become a sitting target in the same waters they were shot at just five months prior.

Earthrace ground crew Scott Fratcher and wife Allison Thompson quickly evaluated the dilemma, found, purchased, and shipped propellers from New Orleans, Louisiana to Colon, Panama.

The newly purchased props are made by HyTorq, and were purchased from Jefferson Marine.

Earthrace crew and boat are safe and will continue on the record attempt.