By Ossian Shine
Vendee Globe skipper Thomas Ruyant will be hoping the name of his vessel, “Vulnerable”, doesn’t prove prophetic after discovering a small leak near the front of his boat on Tuesday.
Battling rough, chaotic seas and strong winds off Cape Finisterre on Spain’s northwest coast, Ruyant — currently sitting third in the general rankings — has been regularly pumping water from the sail locker to keep the situation in check, organisers said.
Despite the challenge, Ruyant’s team reports that he remains in control and will take further action when necessary. For now, the skipper is staying calm and focused, ensuring his race remains on course.
Elsewhere in the fleet Fabrice Amedeo suffered a blackout on board his boat Nexans-Wewise, but took it in his stride, quipping that his philosophy degree hadn’t prepared him for fixing electrics mid-ocean on all fours.
“Problem solved, here we go again,” he said after restoring half his IMOCA’s electrical system, adding that the ocean was testing his resolve from day one.
Britain’s Sam Goodchild, competing for the first time, was leading the fleet on the third day of the race being contested by 40 skippers from 11 countries. Frenchman Yannick Bestaven won the last edition, finishing in 80 days, three hours and 44 minutes.
The Vendee Globe is a solo, non-stop and unassisted sailing race around the world, starting and finishing in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France.
It follows a course through the Atlantic Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, across the treacherous Southern Ocean and past the Kerguelen Islands.
Competitors then navigate around Cape Leeuwin at the southwestern tip of Australia and Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America before heading back up the Atlantic to return to Les Sables-d’Olonne.
The route spans approximately 24,000 nautical miles, exposing sailors to some of the planet’s harshest and most remote conditions.
(Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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