Paris (AFP)
Charlie Dalin (Apivia), relegated to 3rd position in the Vendée Globe, will attempt a repair on Tuesday on his latest generation boat, which suffered damage to the port foil system (lateral appendage) on Monday.
"The conditions expected in the area on Tuesday seem favorable for an attempt to repair over the next few hours," said Dalin's team, which led the race before its damage, in a statement.
"Charlie has also gybed (tacked, editor's note) this morning to start the procedure and is currently doing his best to resume his Vendée Globe as quickly as possible," said the press release.
According to his team, around 7 p.m. French time on Monday, "after hearing a loud noise on board, he was greatly slowed down in his progress while he was at the head of the fleet", which forced him to put "his race in parentheses to take the time to inspect his Imoca Apivia ".
"Its first observations during the night indicated that the port foil system was damaged without any water leaks having been noted elsewhere," said the press release.
The foil is a large lateral appendage that allows the hull to rise above the water so that the sailboat spins at high speed.
These elements (two per boat) are characteristic of the latest generation Vendée Globe monohulls.
The damage does not seem to be linked to an impact with an UFO (unidentified floating object), explained Apivia on Tuesday: the port foil has retained its integrity and it is the low hold, the low fulcrum of the foil with the boat, which is damaged.
The 36-year-old Norman sailor is taking part in the round-the-world race alone and non-stop for the first time.
He had taken the lead of the fleet on November 23 and is currently en route along the ice zone (Antarctic Exclusion Zones) to enter the Pacific Ocean.
At the 05:00 check-in (0400 GMT), Thomas Rettant (LinkedOut) was 2 miles ahead of Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV) and 8 miles over Dalin.
© 2020 AFP