Arkea Ultim Challenge: Rudder damage! Second forced stop for Armel Le Cléac'h

Before the start of the historic premiere of the Arkea Ultim Challenge, Armel Le Cléac'h and his giant trimaran "Banque Populaire XI" were among the co-favourites in the battle for victory. Now the skipper from Saint-Pol-de-Léon has to head for a repair harbour for the second time. His team confirmed on 15 February that the Ultim giant had suffered rudder damage.

Arkea Ultim Challenge: another black day for Armel Le Cléac'h

According to team information, "several options are being examined to diagnose the damage and consider how the rest of the race should proceed". Armel Le Cléac'h will be diverted to a Brazilian harbour for this. This means that this 39th day of the Arkea Ultim Challenge is another black one for the strong Frenchman.

Leading skipper Charles Caudrelier had better prospects on Thursday afternoon. The "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" skipper is expected to cross the equator on Friday. While Thomas Coville is in third position and sailing northwards along the South American coast and should soon take over the role of Armel Le Cléac'h's first chaser, fourth-placed Anthony Marchand and his pursuer Eric Péron are making further progress in the Pacific.

6,600 nautical miles separate the front-runners from the tail-enders

The Arkea Ultim Challenge fleet is separated by around 6,600 miles, from dominator Charles Caudrelier to last-placed Éric Péron. Neither the weather conditions of the skippers nor their food supplies are comparable. The contrasts are stark: on the one hand, there is Éric Péron, who climbs out of the cockpit of "Ultim Adagio" with his smartphone attached to a pole and wearing bright red clothing, filming the midnight blue sea against a dark grey backdrop. On the other side, Charles Caudrelier can be seen bare-chested, forced to seal off his cockpit to protect himself from the sun.

While Anthony Marchand reports of "large breakwaters, foam, grey and rain" in the Pacific, he has to protect himself against the merciless cold just before Point Nemo, as does Éric Péron, who is sailing behind him at latitude 52 degrees south in the "Furious Fifties". Spending time on deck has become rare. Hats and fleece jackets are very popular with both of them at air temperatures of six to eleven degrees Celsius.

I really suffer from the heat during the day" (Charles Caudrelier)

Thomas Coville, who is approaching the latitude of Buenos Aires, is enjoying a marvellous 20 degrees at the same time. The sun is even too kind to Charles Caudrelier: after passing Recife on the north-eastern tip of Brazil, the two-time Ocean Race winner has to contend with air temperatures of over 30 degrees. Every now and then, the Gitana skipper pours cold water from a bucket over his head and endeavours to protect the inside of his cockpit from the sun's rays. "It's like being in a motorhome. I really suffer from the heat during the day," said Cuadrelier.

Torn between the beauty of the tropical area and the agony of the heat, the leader of the Arkea Ultim Challenge also has to keep an eye on his supplies: "I've packed food for 45 days, but I still have ten days to go," he reported in the middle of the week. That would have left Caudrelier, whose team released this clip on Thursdayto stretch his provisions a little with a currently assumed race duration of 48 days.

Cold is not his problem - Charles Caudrelier's midweek report:

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