Derek Hatfield confirmed by e-mail today that he has been forced to carry out a pit stop in New Zealand. The recurrent problems with the autopilot were not solved during the long stopover in Tasmania. He also lost the use of his wind instruments, making it impossible to use real wind mode on his Algimouss-Spirit of Canada. He explained too that he caught a bad cold just before leaving Tasmania and has been feeling extremely tired. The Canadian has therefore decided to carry out some work on his 60-foot monohull before flying home to Canada to see his friends and family and reflect on the best way to bring his boat back to her home port.

And Norbert gets a huge welcome in the Channel, tens of thousands of people out waving Austrian flags and cheering him to the heavens, welcoming him safely back to Les Sables d'Olonne as the sun starts to set on this wonderful Sunday, on Sedlacek's race and of course also this epic sixth edition of the Vendee Globe.

Gruss Gott the banners say and Norbert is content with his 11th place, he may be the final skipper to complete this course but he is looking to set a record for the most flares lit in the channel, he is a bundle of pent up energy, waving, cheering and loving every second.

Norbert is just looking for the outside end of the line, hard on the wind as he sails the last half mile of his race. He will cut the line in two or three minutes

Norbert is now around half a mile from the finish, which he should cross in the next ten minutes.  His speed has been fairly irregular over the past hour.  

It is lovely sight as Norbert the terminator closes down the final few miles of the Vendee Globe course, completing the full circle of life of this remarkable race. His yellow and black Nauticsport Kapsch is picked out brillantly in the evening sunshine, heeling gently at times and picking up speed, but the sea is glassy smooth with just a few wind lines now. He has slowed as he gets to within a few miles of the line, but the breeze is blowing offshore and he will have to tack at least once still to get there. It is not going to be a fast finish for Norbert.

Norbert Sedlacek is living the final miles of his Vendee Globe dream in the company of his friends and family and supporters who are now alongside in a fleet of RIBS and powerboats on a perfect sunny, Sunday evening. This may have been one of the toughest races yet, with the highest attrition yet, but this is the perfect way to bring it to an end. Sedlacek looks in great shape, joking about the smell from inside his foul weather gear, but he has posed and posed for the media, the former Hilton Vienna waiter about to finish his race.

Nauticsport Kapsch looks in reasonable fettle. He is sailing with the main fixed by a tie at about half height because of the damaged mast track, the cover is gone from the opening into the keel head, and his main looks like it has done a few miles. Otherwise both the boat and the skipper look great. Breeze is just seven or eight knots and he is gliding along towards the line about three and a half or four miles away at about six to eight knots.