13 of the 14 solo sailors entered in the New York-Vendée Transat set off on Sunday, May 29, 2016 at 9:40 pm (3:40 pm local time). Indeed, Conrad Colman (100% Natural Energy) is expected to take the start this Monday, May 30, as soon as he has sorted out the final technical requirements essential for a crossing in good conditions.
Vincent Riou (PRB) leads the way
With 10 knots of wind and a more than reduced visibility (barely 200 m), it was Jean-Pierre Dick (StMichel âeuros Virbac) who took the lead, followed by Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) and Yann Eliès (Quéguiner âeuros Leucémie Espoir)
After ten hours of racing, the sailors are sailing in a group with Vincent Riou (PRB) leading the fleet. While Yann Eliès was behind PRB, he hit a UFO (Unidentified Floating Object) on the port daggerboard. The impact caused a small tear in the daggerboard case, which made it impossible for him to sail with his daggerboard down.
Yann Eliès is baffled
In agreement with Claude Quéguiner, President of the Groupe Quéguiner, and in view of his position, the sailor has decided to divert to Newport, located about 100 miles from his current position. The goal is to repair as quickly as possible so that the sailor can set sail again quickly. Indeed, Yann Eliès is playing with his qualification for the 2016 Vendée Globe.
Three other diversions
Armel le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VIII) and Morgan Lagravière (Safran) have also both hit a UFO and are heading towards Newport.
The first one noticed a small water leak in the daggerboard case and should arrive on site in 12 hours. The second one broke a foil and caused a small leak. He should reach Newport in the evening where he will assess the damage and the work to be done with his technical team.
According to a press release from PRB - Vincent Riou's sponsor - the three sailors are not the only ones to reach Newport. Pieter Heerema (No Way Back) also encountered a UFO that severely damaged his boat.
Jean-Pierre Dick (StMichel-Virbac) also hit the deck when he noticed that his port foil was seriously damaged and unusable. Noting no collateral damage to the hull and the outrigger (carbon part that holds the mast laterally), the sailor had initially decided to continue. However, after a thorough audit of the damaged foil and a study of the weather (a low-pressure system is forming in the middle of the Atlantic), JP fears that the tip (vertical part of the foil) could come loose and damage the outrigger. In this case, the integrity of the mast could be affected. So he went to Newport to remove the damaged foil and resume the race.
Initiatives Coeur continues its journey
Tanguy de Lamotte, who also seriously damaged his daggerboard, decided to continue his race. He will just take a little more time, as he indicates in the video below.
An area frequently infested by UFOs
As Vincent Riou explains, in this area, the solitary divers are at the mercy of whales and other basking sharks. " This is what happened to me eight years ago on The Transat. A collision with a basking shark had damaged my keel. I had to abandon. We still have at least 200 miles to go before we can find waters less frequented by these mammals and fish. Because here, we are in a large whale breeding area" explained Vincent as he learned of the damage to each other's boats.
