Shortly after 15h yesterday (Monday 10th November), while he was sailing 250 miles from Les Sables d’Olonne in very heavy seas, Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty heard a loud snapping sound, as his boat slammed down between two waves. He soon discovered that a small crack had opened up on the deck of Maisonneuve and therefore decided to turn back to Les Sables d’Olonne for repairs. This afternoon, the solo sailor is downwind and having to tack his way back, prolonging his route. he should be in sight of Port Olona late today, but will have to wait patiently for a few hours tonight before entering the harbour, because of the tide. Ashore, everything is ready to deal with the boat. Throughout the afternoon yesterday, Soizic Dubois, Laurent Massot and Ronan Cointo prepared everything to carry out the repairs, which are expected to take between 48 and 72 hours. «Only once a detailed inspection has been carried out in the harbour can we be more precise. Today, we know that a crack can be seen by the coach roof, going down towards the hull and based on what Jean-Baptiste has explained and the estimates from the support team, we are led to believe that the main structure of the boat has not been affected.»

The only Austrian skipper in the race admitted this morning (Tuesday 11th November) he was very tired : «The past two days haven't been much fun. I'm in the process of cleaning the boat and will then be getting myself a nice meal of Chinese noodles… » As for Rich Wilson, he acknowledged that the first days were very tiring: «The first night, I was very worried, and couldn't sleep. Now, things are better. It's nice to see some blue skies and sail in the moonlight... »

Following the damage since the start of the race, a press conference was organised in Vendée Globe HQ in Paris this morning at 11h, in the company of Philippe de Villiers, President of the SEM Vendée, Denis Horeau, Race Director and Alain Gautier, the Vendée Globe safety consultant. Extracts :

Philippe de Villiers, President of the Vendée Council: "We knew that the start of this year's Vendée Globe was going to be difficult.  What we have just experienced is a classic November storm. I noticed that there have been no requests for assistance and that all of the sailors have coped well with the situation. There have been two official retirals (Kito de Pavant / Groupe Bel and Marc Thiercelin / DCNS).  We must not forget that we are talking here about a major sporting event and that storms are part of the competition and the race goes on...."

Alain Gautier: "The Vendée Globe is living up to all its promises.  Sport, competition and adventure are all there.  We must not forget that sailing is a mechanical sport and that what has just happened, however tough it may be for some, is common in this type of race. This situation reminds me a little of the 1992 Vendée Globe, when after the fine weather at the start, a huge low-pressure area moved in, forcing many back to Les Sables.  Apart from the two retirals,  for the moment most of the boats are due to set sail again after their repairs in Les Sables.  We can add that in 1992 on the final podium of the Vendée Globe there were two boats that had returned to Les Sables shortly after the start."

 

Following the collision two days ago with a cargo vessel, repairs on Bernard Stamm's Cheminées Poujoulat are set to continue. After identifying the cargo ship involved in the collision, marks were noticed on the rig, where it brushed against the stern of the vessel. This afternoon at around 13h, the boat will have her mast removed in order to deal with these scrapes and give the mast a thorough inspection. This work requires the sails and rigging to be removed, which given the extent of the work, means that the Swiss sailor will not be setting sail again before Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Thierry Dubois and his team continue their work in replacing the bowsprit. These jobs are therefore going on at the same time, making it difficult to estimate a precise start time for Cheminées Poujoulat.

It looks like the worst of the weather is over: behind the cold front, which battered the fleet, the wind veered NW'ly and eased off. The area of low pressure (977 hPa) is moving eastwards and filling, while the Azores high stretches across towards Portugal.

In the Bay of Biscay, the wind will be westerly (15-20 knots), then veer NW'ly. For the leaders, the 15-knot NW'ly wind will gust to 25 knots off Cape Finisterre before gradually veering northerly (15-25 knots) off Porto this afternoon (Tuesday).

The DCNS press office has informed the race directors that Marc Thiercelin's monohull was dismasted at 7h30 this morning at 44°15 North and 8°43 West. The competitor stressed that the damage was extensive and it would be impossible to set out again. He is unable to say for the moment which port he will be heading for.