French adventurer Anne Quéméré has decided to abandon her attempt to cross the Pacific, from San Francisco to Tahiti, in her tiny kite-powered craft,Oceankite.

After a period of good sailing, Anne Quemere has floundered in the Doldrums. Four days ago her kite tore and the pulley system was permanently damaged. “After the shock to the Oceankite over a week ago, I had great difficulty myself recovering from this event. I’ve lost confidence in my equipment as well as myself. It’s not pleasant but, it’s obvious. Without wind, one goes nowhere.”

There hasn’t been any wind for the past ten days, or what wind there was came from the South which was pushing the Oceankite back on its track. “In one night, I lost all the mileage I had gained in one week” she explained.

A cargo ship, 25 hours away, will attempt to pick her up, although her batteries, charged by wind power have not been charging – meaning her transponder is out of commission.