Riou was below deck at the chart table at the time of the collision and rushed up immediately after the impact. He could still see that "PRB" had sailed into a drifting metal buoy on the starboard side. About one metre of the hull was torn and delaminated. The spot is about three metres behind the bow. The Frenchman wants to examine the area in daylight and decide with his team whether a repair is possible. The conditions would be acceptable, with good weather and winds between 12 and 15 knots. Riou also immediately informed the Vendée Race Office and announced the position of the collision so that the other competitors could be warned.
After an initial inspection of the damage, Riou wants to attempt a repair: "It won't be easy, as I have nowhere to seek shelter under land, but it's doable. Only when I'm sure that the repair is so good that the boat can sail through the Southern Ocean will I continue."
At the time of the collision, Riou was in third place, only around 75 miles behind the leader Armel Le Cléac'h ("Banque Populaire") and was travelling at around 10 to 12 knots. If he is unable to repair the damage, it would be the seventh retirement in the race and the second of the top favourites after "Safran" skipper Marc Guillemot to be unable to continue.
At the front, the French trio of Armel Le Cléac'h, François Gabart ("Macif") and Jean-Pierre Dick ("Paprec-Virbac 3") are now slightly ahead of the field, after the Swiss Bernard Stamm also reported problems on board yesterday. His genoa broke in the Doldrums, meaning that he is currently travelling without the important headsail for the current upwind course. There were also problems with the autopilot, which he was apparently able to solve. He was forced to steer a more easterly course and lost valuable miles to the leading trio.
Brit Alex Thomson, who had initially kept up surprisingly well with the leading group, has also fallen further behind. At 140 miles, however, his deficit has now increased significantly, one reason probably being that he was busy repairing his defective hydrogenerator. The component, which is immensely important for the energy supply, was damaged at the rear a few days ago. But now it is working again, the second successful repair job after Thomson had already mended a broken rudder crossbar.
The gap to the next group of chasers behind them, consisting of the Brit Mike Golding ("Gamesa"), the Frenchman Jean Le Cam ("Synerciel") and the Swiss Dominique Wavre ("Mirabaud"), is also widening. Their gap is already over 300 miles. A critical distance that makes it possible for the leaders to encounter a completely different weather system in the Roaring Forties. Go to the current ranking here.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
