Just over twelve hours after the start of the Défi Azimut, the mast of the "Corum L'Épargne" broke around 80 miles off Audierne. The damage occurred at around 1.30 am, when French skipper Nicolas Troussel had just passed the second mark with Benjamin Schwartz and on-board reporter Tanguy Conq. In 25 knots of wind and rough seas, the team was in the front midfield at the time of the accident, the crew remained unharmed and is in good health.
However, the incident is all the more bitter in the context of Troussel's past with the "Corum L'Épargne". On 16 November 2020, the mast broke during the Vendée Globe and Troussel had to retire. The boat, which was only a few months old, was then overhauled and relaunched for The Ocean Race Europe. But that was not all: the design, which was considered very radical, also spent the entire first half of 2023 in the shipyard. In seven months, the team replaced the front six metres, i.e. the entire bow section.
Défi Azimut: Another team has to give up
Following the relaunch in July, new foils were also fitted in mid-August. The previous foils were among the largest Imoca foils ever and were considered a possible cause of the mast breakage on the Vendée Globe due to the high righting moment. It is still unclear why the mast broke again in tough but normal conditions.
However, many of the latest generation of foilers have already had to contend with problems with the attachments or mast breakages. The standardised masts do not seem to be able to cope with the high loads to which they are subjected. In the Ocean Race in particular, the crews pushed the Imocas more than ever before.
Meanwhile, the Défi Azimut saw another abandonment. Eric Bellion and Martin Le Pape informed the race organisers at 3:40 last night about problems with the electronics on board the "Stand As One". Both skippers and the OBR are in good health and are on their way to Lorient.
"Charal" in the lead, Boris Herrmann in the top ten
Jérémie Beyou and Franck Cammas ("Charal") are still in the lead, closely followed by Charlie Dalin/Pascal Bidégorry ("Macif Santé Prévoyance") and Thomas Ruyant/Sam Goodchild ("For the Planet"). Just nine nautical miles behind the leaders, Yoann Richomme/Yann Eliès ("Paprec Arkéa") complete the leading group. Boris Herrmann and Will Harris ("Malizia -Seaexplorer") are in sixth position behind Sam Davies/Jack Boutell ("Initiatives Cœur") and are following the route of the leaders.
There is only a split further back in the field. Above all, Arnaud Boissières/Gérald Véniard as well as the German-French Isabelle Joschke with co-skipper Alain Gautier have decided to keep the course south after the second mark instead of jibing to the east. Although they are currently benefiting from the better wind conditions there and are already catching up, they are still a long way behind the leading group in 10th and 13th place, which is currently heading for the next waypoint and still has around 260 nautical miles to go to the finish line.
