(Reuters) Having started on November 6, the depleted fleet of Vendee Globe boats is running into the one-month-in period of breakages and repairs that the skippers dread.
Down in 16th place Conrad Colman got a nasty shock when his boat Foresight Natural Energy got flattened and stopped with the sail in the water.
“If you think you had a bad day, just look at mine!” said the New Zealand/USA skipper. “There is a way out of this but man, I really wish we hadn’t done this. Here we go!”
He righted the boat and continued.
Fifth placed Jeremie Beyou (Maitre CoQ) reported on Saturday (December 3) that his mainsail had collapsed at speed. He turned away to seek shelter for repairs but fixed the problem with tools at hand and rejoined the hunt.
Japanese entry Kojiro Shiraishi (Spirit of Yukoh) was not so lucky. He reported on Sunday (December 4) that he was dismasted. It had broken in two. The Japanese turned away to sail for Cape Town and retirement.
Twenty-four out of the original 29 starters are still in the race as the fleet spreads across the Southern Ocean.
The leader Armel Le Cleac’h (Banque Populaire) will soon be drawing level with Australia’s Cape Leeuwin on the Western Australia coast. Only 60 nautical miles behind him is second placed skipper Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), the former leader. But third placed Sebastien Josse (Edmond de Rothschild) is 592 nautical miles behind the leader and the rest of the fleet are strewn all the way back to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
In ninth place, well away from South Africa but still 2335 nautical miles behind the leader, Thomas Ruyant (Le Souttle Du Nord) also had to effect repairs after battens in his sail broke. The Frenchman got out glue, a saw and a drill and repaired the broken battens with minimal loss of time.
