Armel Le Cléac’h has been forced to divert to Lorient after breaking the daggerboard on the Maxi Banque Populaire XI.
At midday Thursday, while sailing close-hauled in 20 knots of wind, Le Cléac’h heard a crack without any apparent shock. He then noticed the breakage of the daggerboard under the bottom of the boat’s hull.
While race leader Charles Caudrelier on the Ultim 32/23 Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is contesting the call that their Ultim broke the line early.
The data from the line marker buoys is updated in real time and is now being analysed against the Gitana team’s positioning software and the tracking. Any penalty imposed must be taken within 48 hours of that decision.
In the IMOCA fleet the main peloton has been fighting to get south seeking to find the best point to cross the front, at the same not getting too much of a battering in a short, sharp system which could see 40kts plus.
Charlie Dalin on APIVIA is six miles ahead of perennial rival Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) but making more than 2.5 to three knots quicker in the upwind conditions.
He was also quicker than the new boats Jérémie Beyou’s Charal 2 and Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim-PRB being around 18-20 miles behind.
Britain’s James Harayda (Gentoo Sailing Team) is 7th, Samantha Davis (Initiatives Coeur) is 25th and Pip Hare (Medallia) is 31st.
In Class40 the leading group is compacted to within a couple of miles, all pushing west together.
Keni Piperot (Captain Alternance) is 3.5nm ahead of the USA’s Alex Mehran (Polka Dot) closest to the rhumb line, and Marc Lepesqueux (Curium Life Forward) with Ian Lipinski (Credit Mutuel) fourth.
In the Ocean Fifty there are three rookies in the top four Ocean Fifty boats currently taking advantage of decent winds and pleasant conditions for their multihulls.
Quentin Vlamynck (Arkema) continues holds a5.3nm lead from from Sébastien Rogues (Primonial) on a Southerly route. Aremel Tripon (Les P’tits Doudous) is third and Erwan Le Roux (Koesio) now fourth.;
For Rhum Mono the first night was more comfortable than expected with the fleet able to make their way out of the English Channel on one tack.
Wilfrid Clerton (Cap au Cap Location) has a 7nm lead overnight from Catherine Chabaud with early leader Jean-Pierre Dick (Notre Mediterranee) now third.
In the Rhum Multi category, Brieuc Maisonneuve (CMA Ile-de-france) has taken a 21nm lead from Roland Jourdain (We Explore) with early leader, the Belgian Gilles Buekenhout (Jess) falling back to seventh.
There has been 11 Pit stops and 4 skippers have retired:
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- Sam Goodchild (Leyton – Ocean Fifty) after being injured during the pre-start phase
- Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori Global One – IMOCA) following a collision off Cape Fréhel
- Oren Nataf (Rayon Vert – Rhum Multi) with a ripped mainsai
- Antoine Magré (E.Leclerc Ville-La-Grand – Class40) after hitting the rocks off the island of Batz.
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