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12:50 PM Fri 19 Dec 2008 GMT
An Australian Royal Navy Frigate left Perth around 18:00 UTC to go to the rescue of injured Vendee Globe sailor Yann Elies. The boat's ETA is now 14:00hrs GMT Saturday.
The 118m Frigate from the Australian Royal Navy with more than a 100 crew on board is expected to reach the injured sailor around 14:00hrs GMT Saturday and so it has been able to go quicker than first expected. It was confirmed that there's no helicopter on board.
The Australians are very determined to accomplish this military mission, to save Yann Elies, and in the history of the Vend?e Globe they have always been very proven very diligent and competent when it comes to saving lives.
Marc Guillemot arrived in the area late yesterday evening beside Yann Elies. They talked via VHF, and his mission, that of emotional assistance, is working very well.
Marc has tried twice to get close to Yann to throw him packages of water, medication, bread and pate. He really wants to boost the morale of his friend who's in difficulty, and Marc plans to stay there until the end of this problem. He will not give up. Marc will not stop contacting Yann.'
'Sam Davies is on her way as well, quite fast, with strong winds of near 35 knots, and she will arrive tonight. So we will have two boats to bring morale and psychogical support to Yann Elies. Any physical helps seems to be difficult if not impossible.'
'Meantime we are trying to assess the planning with the Royal Australian Navy, how will they operate and what will happen exactly in coordination with David Adams in Australia and Alain Gautier here with us in Paris and others are trying to work out the best strategy.'
Erwan Steff, Administration and Technical Manager Team Generali -
'We spoke to Yann this morning. He is a bit better. Unfortunately he still has not taken any painkillers or medicine. He has no water nearby, but his moral is rising. He has been able to find lime juice, a cereal bar and condensed milk, some essentials. It has given him hope to be able to hydrate himself and be able to eat a bit. He is still in a lot of pain but hopes that Marc Guillemot is there is boosted by the news the ship is going faster than expected.
So it puts him in a position where hope is rising and Yann is being very strong and focussed. Of course he's impatient for the Australian boat to get there. Yann saw Marc's sails from where he is, so now he can physically see his friend so that helped him. The fact that Marc tried to throw him food and medicine makes him realizethat people are mobilized to get him out of this situation.
Marc has gone through this situation himself before (capsize of Jet Services in December 1985 when Guillemot was trapped with badly broken hip) so he knows how to talk to Yann and find the right words to help him through this.
Dr Jean Yves Chauve -
'I spoke to Yann at 9 this morning, we did a checkup as we do every 2 hours. Erwann and myself we do this regularly, so things have now stabilized. Of course Yann still cannot move, since the pain is so intense. He can move his toes and has good blood circulation around the leg. Because of the fracture there's probably internal bleeding, the leg is a bit displaced on the outside, so there's a loss of circulation somewhere above the knee.
The thigh is very painful and is swollen. His position is not very comfortable. His lower back hurts him. The whole left side hurts, he has some bad bruises and the muscles are very tense and sore as they contract themselves. His back hurts around one rib, so we don't know if he has a broken rib or a bruise even if it is a broken rib it's not that serious.
For food the difficulty is that he cannot move to get food, so it's a problem for him, but he only has 24 hours to hold on to, same thing for water, so logically that should not pose a problem. The problem is that he still cannot access the painkillers. But he's in a position where if he doesn't move he doesn't hurt.
Marc tried to send him a bottle of water with meds but it did not work. If the pain is controllable and if he can stay stable he can hold on for the next 24 hours, Overall that is the most sensible solution and most comfortable for him.'
'Marc called him, Yann talked to me about it saying how is good to have two skippers together in the same place. So he needs this help right now and we can hear in his voice that Marc's presence is important to him.'
Alain Gautier -
'From the images we have, the boat has three reefs and a very small staysail, so with the conditions the sails should not be a problem without needing to make any changes. At times the motion of the boat will be difficult and unpleasant but their should be no risk to the integrity of the boat.
Marc tried throw package in to Yann inside the boat but it's too far for him to reach, so it's in the cockpit and that's where it is. Marc keeps on trying and the target is 10 meters away but it is complicated at sea, and then you have to aim for a very small opening and for it to land near Yann. Even at the Olympics we don't have a category so difficult.
Alain Gautier - Still, it has a positive psychological effect on Yann to know that Marc will keep trying to pass things to him.
by Vendee media
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