The weather was not exceptional, with around 15 knots from the north-east and moderate Atlantic swell when the two Acciona 100% EcoPowered epirbs were released at 11:49 CET on Sunday. Sanso, known to all as "Bubi", was about 500 miles west of Madeira and 360 miles south of the Azores at the time. A few minutes earlier, he had sent a routine situation report to the regatta headquarters via email, in which he reported no particular incidents.
After the race organisers and the Spanish authorities had tried in vain to establish radio contact with the boat, a search operation was launched. At around 17:30, a C295 rescue aircraft arrived in the search quadrant and spotted Sanso in his life raft, next to the capsized boat, when he made himself known by hand and smoke signals.
At around 18:50 CET, an EH101 rescue helicopter took off from the Azores island of Terceira and was expected to arrive at Sanso's position at around midnight. No details of the cause of the capsize were initially reported.
A few days ago, Sanso reported from on board that he was having problems with the autopilot, which was not recognising the wind shifts correctly, forcing him to steer more by hand. "It's not particularly strenuous, it's actually quite nice, but it gets a bit boring in the long run. I check the wind direction using flags. I have a French and an English one with me."
Lamotte suffers collision damage
Tenth-placed Tanguy Lamotte, who reported a collision with an object 440 miles south-west of Cape Verde, also had problems, albeit on a much smaller scale. The starboard rudder on his boat "Initiatives-cœur" had broken away and the port centreboard, which absorbed the impact, had been pushed aft, damaging the centreboard box and causing water ingress. "There is water in the boat, but I've been travelling slower since then so I can control the amount, especially to protect the electrical systems. The situation is under control, but I really need to remove the centreboard so I can seal the leaks."
Dick sets course for the finish line
The good news of the day is that Jean-Pierre Dick, whose boat "Virbac Paprec 3" lost its keel eleven days ago, has left the Galician harbour of San Ciprian and set course for Les Sables, 220 miles away. Incidentally, the jury decided not to penalise him for using the machine because it was a safety measure. The crucial question: Will Dick manage to bring his damaged racer to the finish ahead of the onrushing Mike Golding? The lead is still 600 miles.
