Vendée Globe: Josse rams flotsam and falls back

Yesterday at 22.30, a UFO (Unidentified Floating Object) slammed into the starboard rudder of the "Edmond de Rothschild" as it was travelling at over 22 knots through the pitch-black night of the Southern Ocean. The rudder's kick-up mechanism, which is designed to prevent major damage by folding up the rudder, was triggered immediately. Normally, such an incident also results in a capital sunshot, as the boat is suddenly travelling without a rudder.

However, the 41-year-old Frenchman was quickly able to get his boat back under control and examine the damage. It turned out that the mechanism holding the rudder down had been broken by the impact. After consulting with the team, Sébastien Josse managed to get the blade back in working order after a four-hour repair operation.

But the night's effort cost the previously second-placed sailor almost 90 nautical miles behind the leader Alex Thomson; he is now 177 miles behind, almost 80 miles behind Armel Le Cléac'h's "Banque Populaire VIII". And worse still: the stop means that "Edmond de Rothschild" is in danger of slipping out of the narrow low-pressure belt on which the three leaders were still "riding" yesterday at speeds of over 20 knots. This already happened yesterday to the field behind the trio, who are currently sailing almost ten knots slower than the leaders. At the position update this morning, Josse was already two knots slower than Armel Le Cléac'h, who was ahead of him. It will be very exciting to see whether the two leaders manage to pull away a little further.

Behind them in fourth to sixth place are Morgan Lagravière ("Safran"), Paul Meilhat ("SMA") and Jérémie Beyou ("Maitre Coq"), each sailing on their own with large gaps to the next place.

Yann Eliès ("Quéguiner Leucémie"), who is the only one in the large peloton to have escaped the St Helena High, which has had the fleet behind him firmly in its grip for days, is following them with a lot of luck. Jean-Pierre Dick, who is leading the group, is now more than 1600 nautical miles behind. Never before has the Vendée field been so far apart at such an early stage. Sébastien Destremeau, the last boat to start regularly, is already more than 3000 nautical miles behind.