Vendee Globe-vinder udgår med fatal kølskade

Vincent Riou, en af favoritterne, forlod i dag Vendee Globe med orange PRB.

Det skete mens båden lå på en femteplads, som første båd uden foils. Bådens køl ramte et objekt i vandet i søndags.

Han opdagede tre timer senere, gennem en vibrerende tiltagende lyd, den fatale fejl på den del, som forbinder skroget og svingkølen. Han frygter at miste kølen og har sænket farten.

Riou sejler nu mod Cape Town, 1000 sømil mod øst, for at fikse skaden, før han skuffende sejler hjem mod Frankrig, hvor han bor.

Han måtte også forlade sejladsen 14 dage ind i sejladsen i 2012/2013.

To både nu udgået

Riou er nu officielt en anden skipper, der denne gang forlader Vendee Globe efter Bertrand, mens Tanguy de Lamotte sejler tilbage til start i Les Sables d'Olonne med skade på masten, men han er endnu ikke udgået af sejladsen.

Hugo Boss med Alex Thomson er i front, 94 sømil foran Sébastien Josse, fire dage forud for tiden i forhold til de førende i 2012/2013.

Helt tilbage kæmper den spanske skipper Didac Costa på One Planet One Ocean i den nordlige hemisfære, nu 3.260 sømil efter førende Hugo Boss.

Han startede tre dage efter alle andre, efter en vandskade i elektronikken.

Her ligger bådene

Interview med Vincent Riou på engelsk:

- This is a huge disappointment. But as every time, life goes on and for me that means bringing my boat back safely to land somewhere.

On Sunday night something hit the bulb. The keel started to vibrate. It then started moving from side to side. That soon stopped.

It was not immediate as the boat was going at 25 knots when it happened. I didn't think much about it. The keel often hits things in ocean races and this bang wasn't that big.

Later that night, I started hearing cracking noises around the keel. The sort of noise I had already heard, as I had already had noises from the carbon rubbing between the keel and the hull.

I said to myself that there was some friction, but that it wasn't serious. But gradually the noise grew louder. I started to ask myself questions, and think about what may have happened.

I started to consult others. (…). We weren't that worried, but not that relaxed either, as it is not an easy place to get to in the boat.

Without removing the keel, you can't really see what has happened. So what I did was to say I would continue. It could have been a small move by the keel and the carbon will be rubbing on the hull, meaning the noise should fade away.

Or it was something more serious with damage to the bearings and then the noise would increase. I continued to sail for 24 hours.

The noise continued to grow until late yesterday, when I started hearing metallic sounds as well as noises from the carbon. I could se that the bearings were damaged and that it was beginning to affect the housing around the bearings.

Vincent Riou frygter at kølen kan falde af.