With organizers citing a crowd of over several thousand on hand in Totnes, England, Pete Goss and his Team Philips partners have had to delay the launching of his mega catamaran due to inclement weather. Goss and his team have managed to inch the 120-foot behemoth out of the shed where it was built, but as of midday today in England, they were still waiting weather conditions to improve. The insurers of the boat have stipulated that the launch can not take place in winds of more than 20 mph.

The twin rig cat, which Goss describes as looking "more like a spaceship than a sailboat," will ultimately be fitted with two, 130-foot, unstayed, rotating wingmasts before it undergoes initial sea trials later this month. The "Una Rigs" won?t carry jibs except in ultra-light wind conditions when headsails can be set on free-flying halyards simply to get the multihull moving.

If Team Philips gets wet today, Goss and company plan to step the masts and move the boat down the River Dart as soon as practicable. Their ambitious schedule includes an early April run at the Trophee Jules Verne record (around the world non-stop). Prior to that, however, they?ll have to squeeze in a trip up the Thames River to London for Team Philips to be christened by Queen Elizabeth.