Vendée Globe

The skipper of Hugo Boss, whose boat was hit by a fishing boat and dismasted this morning at 3 o´clock off Les Sables d’Olonne, explained the circumstances behind this incident at a press conference at five this afternoon. The shore team and the designers are looking at the work involved and carrying out a detailed assessment of the damage, in order to repair the boat and allow the British yachtsman to line up for the start of the Vendée Globe on Sunday 9th November.

At three o´clock this morning, Hugo Boss was hit by a fishing boat, which struck at the level of the shroud chain plates, which led to her dismasting and caused some a great deal of damage to the starboard side. The yacht was towed to the commercial harbour in Les Sables d’Olonne, where she was assessed during the day by Hugo Boss´s shore team and the boat´s designers, the Finot-Conq Group.

«At 3 a.m. on Friday morning as Hugo Boss was stationary 1.5 miles south of Les Sables d’Olonne with just her mainsail up, with all her lights on, when a fishing boat hit the yacht on the beam. This caused a lot of damage and the mast fell and broke. We quickly cut away the mast and the sail to avoid any further damage and laid down a marker to recover it. We managed to enter the harbour in les Sables d’Olonne at around 4h30 this morning and since then , we have been assessing the damage to know what type of repair is possible and how long it will take.
For the moment (17h00), the Hugo Boss team is in the process of recovering the mast and sail to inspect the rig. For the time being, I haven´t any other information. I have spent four years preparing for this Vendée Globe and I don´t intend to quit now! There are three weeks and two days left before the start. I´m lucky to have a great team around me and have already faced some tough challenges, and on each occasion, we have found the solutions. Until someone tells me I can´t line up for the start on 9th November, you can count on me being there!»

What is the situation with the mast?
«There are several solutions for the mast: the first is to repair it, the second is to make a new one and the third is to use a spare mast from another team. Some of the other teams have offered their help: Dominique Wavre, Yann Eliès and Sébastien Josse.»

Will the repairs be carried out in Les Sables d’Olonne or elsewhere?
«For the moment, Hugo Boss cannot leave Les Sables d’Olonne because of the gaping hole in her hull, which is close to the waterline. We´re going to have to put her into a boatshed to repair her. But the boat will never be quite the same, as so much work has gone into her… »

What did the fishing boat do after the collision?
«She circled around us to make sure everyone on board was safe and sound. Then, she entered the harbour in Les Sables d’Olonne. Then, some sailors came back out in a dinghy to check everything was O.K. My first priority was to ensure the well-being of my crew and the boat, then we informed the emergency services. We were in no immediate danger, which explains why it took a while for this story to spread ashore.»

How many of you were on board?
«Three, with two sleeping and the third person on the deck with all the rigging lit up like a Christmas tree! We had the radar working and the echo-finder… I think it may have been difficult to spot this boat coming up on us, as she was advancing so quickly: the man on watch tried to start the engine, but it was already too late. There were a lot of fishing boats around us with their red or white lights on, in addition to the town lights… Moreover, we were not in the harbour channel to Les Sables d´Olonne.»

Three weeks does not leave you much time?
«It´s not easy to know. We´re going to have to wait for the assessment… The boat´s designers (Jean-Marie Finot and Pascal Conq) have been on board since two this afternoon.»

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