Yesterday evening at around 7.45 pm, British sailor Samantha Davies reported that the mast on her "Savéol" had broken. Davies was in the boat, sailing with a stern wind in a gust of 35 knots, in very confused seas. She was getting ready to go on deck and tie the third reef to the mainsail when she heard a noise and had the feeling that the mast had broken.
In the prevailing conditions, she was unable to react immediately and cut off the rig. She put on her survival suit and waited for the wind to die down.
At around 1.30 a.m. tonight, she began cutting the rig, which was successful. As dawn broke, she wanted to check the boat for damage and then motor the 130 nautical miles or so to Madeira. The wind has now dropped to 20 knots.
This is already the fourth failure for the Vendée Globe. The fleet has not even reached the equator yet.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
