Vendée Globe: Break in the North Atlantic - Goodchild's mainsail "explodes"
Tatjana Pokorny
· 20.01.2025
The North Atlantic low that had been announced for days and had already reached the first boats in the morning caused the first damage to the fleet of sailors from fourth place upwards. Sam Goodchild had to inform his team and the race organisers about his torn mainsail shortly before the end of race day 71 at just before 1 pm.
Serious setback in the Vendée Globe final
The cause of the break was a patent jibe under autopilot. The mainsail tore across the entire width from the leech to the luff at the third batten in a good 30 knots of wind. Sam Goodchild recovered the mainsail and continued sailing downwind in butterfly style (one sail on each side) with the J2 and J3 set.
The 35-year-old "Vulnerable" skipper from Thomas Ruyant's racing team TR Racing fought a thrilling endurance duel with the French "Charal" skipper Jérémie Beyou in the final of his Vendée Globe premiere. Sam Goodchild was only 24 nautical miles behind Jérémie on Monday morning.
The man who grew up on a boat with his family until he was seven years old is still determined to get his solo to the finish line. In a first video from on board, Sam Goodchild said: "I don't have good news. We've just left the worst of the wind behind us and had a little 'woop woop' going down a wave under autopilot." To accompany this slipped expression, Goodchild made the appropriate hand gesture to indicate the patent jibe of his boat.
"Vulnerable" mainsail "exploded" in two parts
"The mainsail hit from one side to the other and unfortunately exploded in two," said Goodchild. The tear was "pretty far up". He could not put in a third reef. He has recovered the sail and does not consider a repair to be completely out of the question, Goodchild explained.
However, repairs were out of the question in the still stormy conditions. He still had 30, 35 knots of wind, Goodchild reported in the early afternoon. "I've got two headsails up and I'm trying to get east to get out of the northerly winds that are coming now."
The Englishman, who lives in France, said combatively: "I might try to fix it. It doesn't mean that the Vendée Globe is over." He is trying to "bring the boat home in one piece" within the now limited possibilities. Goodchild also said: "It's quite disappointing, but we knew in a way that the risk was there. Unfortunately, it got me."
First sleep, then think again
Despite everything, Sam Goodchild still found time to comment on the natural spectacle in his clip as he looked out over the wild North Atlantic: "The waves are beautiful." After the excitement and intensive work on deck, Goodchild wanted to take a short break in the afternoon. "Then I can think again."
