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7:04 PM Thu 8 Jan 2009 GMT
Vincent Riou and Jean Le Cam arrived in Puerto Williams, the remote Chilean Naval base, this morning, towed there aboard the dismasted PRB, the latest to have their Vend?e Globe dreams taken away from them.
Of the 30 who started November 9th there are now just 12 skippers still actively racing with leader Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) now closer to Les Sables d'Olonne and the finish line, than Raphael Dinelli (Fondacion Oc?an Vital) is to him.
More than two months of racing since 30 skippers left Les Sables d'Olonne and no more than a dozen will reach the finish. Even with the improved safety, the security ice-gates, the rate of attrition in this incredible race has now reached 60%.
Title holder Vincent Riou this evening faces up to the cruel reality that his desire to even finish his second Vend?e Globe was taken from him when the mast of PRB collapsed last night. As the 2004 winning skipper said today, he and Le Cam had already sailed 250 miles since the rescue from VM Mat?riaux and only had 50 miles to go before a planned rendezvous.
The moods of the dozen skippers on the race course are, predictably, varied, mixed up even. Feelings of euphoria that they are still in the fight are mixed with intense sadness, now empathizing with Riou's misfortune and trying to understand a race which then deals such injustice for a simple act of heroic seamanship within sight of the most inhospitable corner of the world. All that just more than a day after sharing the relief as Le Cam pulled himself cold, but unscathed from the half sunk VM Mat?riaux.
Yesterday there was the delight of Vend?e Globe rookie Armel Le Cl?ac'h as he reached Cape Horn for the first time, his final turn for home, having stood by to help in the rescue of Le Cam. Today he is dealing with the fact that his running mate for so many weeks, Riou, will not be at his side for the final ascent of the Atlantic.
Sixteen skippers have now been the victim of mechanical failures, six dismastings, some caused by a simple case of bad lack - the wrong wave at the wrong time.
Having just arrived at the dock in Port Stephens, the southernmost town in the world, after being towed in: Riou sounding flat and dejected said this morning,
'Both Jean and me, our arms are just hanging at our sides. This is the straw that broke the camel's back. We're going to have to live with it but after all the other problems I had last year (hit a sea mammal in Artemis Transat and retired, and lost part of his mast in Barelona World Race and retired) It feels like history is repeating itself.'
Peculiarly there is a remarkable calm, almost serenity in the fleet, both metaphorically as skippers adjust to the thinly spread fleet now, and phyisically as the Southern Ocean remains benign, Rapahel Dinelli (Fondacion Oc?an Vital) and Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch), the tail fin of the fleet have had very light winds.
Dee Caffari, GBR (Aviva) relinquished eighth place to her French rival Arnaud Boissi?res (Akenas Verandas) while she took the opportunity to give some much needed attention to her delaminating mainsail while winds were amenable, but as soon as the repairs were completed the breeze returned and the British soloist was back in the charge, quickest in the fleet this morning and regaining miles on Boissi?res.
And Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) completed some repairs to some small cracks in the transom of his Open 60's as well as climbing half way up the rig to add some protection to chafe damage, preparing for his final straight run to Cape Horn.
At the front of the fleet Michel Desjoyeaux believes that his easterly option will pay off. He is more than 260 miles to the east of Roland Jourdain now as the pair diverge to deal with a complex pair of high pressure systems which are expected to block their path.
Desjoyeaux, leader since 16 December, is 123.5 miles ahead of Jourdain, while Armel Le Cl?ac'h lies third 768.8 miles behind.
Vendee Globe ranking - 15:00 HRS GMT. (FRA, unless stated)
1. Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at 5956.4 miles
2. Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) at + 123.5 miles
3. Armel Le Cl?ac'h (Brit Air) + 768.8 miles
4. Vincent Riou (PRB) + 1043.3 miles (no abandon received yet, but towed to shore)
5. Sam Davies, GBR, (ROXY) at + 1942.2 miles
Selected International
7. Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 2965.1 miles
9. Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 3172.9 miles
10. Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 4172.1 miles
11. Rich Wilson, USA, (Great American III) at + 4960.1 miles
12. Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) at + 6151.8 miles
by Event Media
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