Arkea Ultim Challenge: Le Cléac'h passes Cape Horn, Coville with shoulder contusion after crash

The second skipper of the Arkea Ultim Challenge has passed Cape Horn: Armel Le Cléac'h crossed the longitude of the third and last cape of his solo circumnavigation in the early morning of 11 February at 06:01:50 German time in very good conditions. For the "Banque Populaire XI" skipper, it was the fourth Horn Passage in around 15 knots of wind. Armel Le Cléac'h had also experienced the famous landmark as close as this time during his first Vendée Globe in 2008/2009.

Arkea Ultim Challenge: Armel Le Cléac'h opens Atlantic final phase after Cape Horn passage

Whether Armel Le Cléac'h would also be able to leave the Southern Ocean conditions behind him with Cape Horn in the stern remained an open question at first. He only had two options for the opening phase of the final Atlantic leg: He could get as close to the coast as possible and sail downwind at 45 knots from the south-west. Or he could push eastwards to sail downwind at 15 knots - but at the edge of the ice zone.

Fred Le Peutrec, a member of the race management team, flew over the area again yesterday to check the ice movements. Previously, ice had been sighted north of the retracted ice line, but the course appeared to be ice-free again recently.

Charles Caudrelier: past Rio de Janeiro for Carnival

Meanwhile, leader Charles Caudrelier is sailing as close as possible to the Brazilian coast to the north, a good 1,800 nautical miles ahead of Armel Le Cléac'h. With 16 knots of wind from the north, Caudrelier was travelling at boat speeds of just over 20 knots. His current strategy is to find the best compromise between maximising VMC to the north and manoeuvring as little as possible. The "Edmond de Rothschild" skipper had almost reached the heights of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday afternoon, where the carnival is in full swing.

As the third skipper of the Arkea Ultim Challenge, Thomas Coville is expected off Cape Horn on Sunday evening. His position and situation was anything but comfortable: chased by a huge area of low pressure and a slightly less unpleasant low in front of him, the Frenchman himself had the feeling of sailing on a knife's edge and explained: "We are between these two systems and are trying to find our way. It's not easy, because the forecasts are never exactly the same as reality."

It was extremely intense, I was in a lot of pain" Thomas Coville

In addition, Thomas Coville suffered a serious shoulder contusion in one of two falls on board at the start of the weekend. He himself explained that these were the first falls of this kind in his sailing career and said: "Something happened to me that I've always been worried about, although it wasn't very bad. We had very strong swell from behind when the boat got stuck in a wave..."

At the time, Coville was in his navigation centre. Due to the enormous centrifugal forces, he lost his grip, found no way to hold on and was thrown more than two and a half metres forward against the interior glazing of his deckhouse, where he hit the shoulder. "It was extremely violent, I was in a lot of pain," said Coville. He continued: "I don't think I lost consciousness, but you get pretty scared within tenths of a second."

Everything is fine. I had incredible medical help" Thomas Coville

However, Coville says he can now give the all-clear: "Everything is fine. I had incredible medical help. Laure and Marine were there, they calmed me down and instructed me. And 24 hours later, everything is fine again. But you feel like you're constantly on a tightrope, which makes you realise how quickly something can happen. We live with it, but when it gets closer or when you experience something happening, you become very aware of it."

Fourth-placed Anthony Marchand has now completed the second pit stop of his race in Dunedin, New Zealand, and is on course for Point Nemo in the Pacific. Marchand had to fix problems with his foil-down system. Overall, the field at the Arkea Ultim Challenge is far apart. Dominator Charles Caudrelier's lead over last-placed Éric Péron was 7,130 nautical miles on the sixth Sunday since the start of the race! Charles Caudrelier only had around 5,000 nautical miles to go to the finish harbour of Brest.

Click here to go directly to the live tracker of the Arkea Ultim Challenge at YACHT online.

Thomas Coville vividly describes the tough sailing in the Southern Ocean in Kurs Kap Hoorn: