Battle for Vendee lead after Peyron dismasted

8:04 PM Wed 10 Dec 2008 GMT

'Seb Josse on BT - Vendee Globe' Jean-Marie Liot / DPPI / Vend?e Globe &copy

Following Loick Peyron's dismasting around 13:00hrs GMT, Wednesday afternoon, one of the favourites to win the race is out of the Vendee. Peyron was inside Gitana Eighty when the mast collapsed. Winds were around 30 knots. He lay third at 10:00hrs GMT and had lead the race for 16 days.

The skipper reported that he is only left with the boom and plans to set a jury rig with it before making a decision where he will head.

On the race course S?bastien Josse (BT) lead through the middle part of today, but on the 1500h GMT poll, is matched almost evenly with Jean Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) who is judged to be just 0.3 miles behind.

With their southerly routing both Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) and Mike Golding, GBR, (Ecover 3) have made gains on the leaders. Jourdain is now third, just 21.4 miles behind Dick, and Golding 28.3 miles off the leading boat.

Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3):

'I've just heard of Gitana's dismasting thus afternoon - this is very bad news for the race as Lo?ck is such a great ambassador for sailing and French sailing in particular. I feel really very sorry for him as,(apart from myself of course), I had him as a serious favorite to win the race. Whist I don't know Lo?ck so well personally, he is and always has been, friendly and free with his smiles - he has no edge of arrogance despite his enviable sailing track record. As you can probably tell - I'm a fan and for me to be on the same race course and combating with such a legend of open class sailing has been amazing.'

'Conditions are pretty wild, 20kts plus of boatspeed, diving down steep awkward waves with winds ranging between 22 and 35kts frm the west it's saying something if I tell you that I had to bring the boat off the breeze a little earlier simply to enable me to use my bucket in relative safety. Also add to this that last night was so very cold (SST 3C) that even in full layer thermals and inside my sleeping bag I just could not sleep.

So I got up made a drink, hunkering down over the stove. then I charged the batteries which was a great excuse to have the engine on to warm up the nav station. Then with an almost endless stream of hot drinks of all description I sat and trimmed sails and the pilot for many hours - probably in part accounting for my big gains this morning. Over 1/3rd into the Vendee Globe and Ecover is currently 4th and 28 miles behind the leader - thats a little more than the length of the Solent - Crazy.'

Jonny Malbon, GBR, Artemis:

'I am tearing my hair out to make the boat go. The night was long and exhausting. And now I feel tired and frustrated. The pilot does not manage to control the boat and I cannot ease out the mainsail enough and I cannot control it. And when I think about it this will go on for another two months. When I see the people who are in front of me are going quicker and that is very hard to take. I am a naturally competitive person and I am here to race.'

Vendee Globe Ranking - 15H00 HRS GMT. Wednesday 10 December 2008 (FRA unless stated)

1 - Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at 15994.2 miles
2- Seb Josse (BT) at + 0.3 miles
3 -Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) at + 21.4 miles
4 - Mike Golding, GBR, (Ecover 3) at + 28.3 miles
5- Michel Desjoyeaux, (Foncia) at + 38.6 miles

Selected International

11- Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 227.3 miles
12- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 526.9 miles
13- Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) at + 556.5 miles
14- Sam Davies, GBR,(ROXY) at + 593.7 miles
15- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 752.6 miles
17- Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 975.6 miles
18 - Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 1112.6 miles
19- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 1334.4 miles
21- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1842.7 miles
24- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) + 2282.1 miles

by Event media