45th La Solitaire du Figaro - Yann Elies dismasted
by La Solitaire du Figaro 10 Jun 2014 15:36 BST
10 June 2014
Yann Elies dismasted in La Solitaire du Figaro leg 1 © Alexis Courcoux
Yann Elies (Groupe Queguiner Leucemie Espoir) was leading Leg 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard Cachemire until 1218 BST when his mast broke as he rounded the Wolf Rock lighthouse.
Elies worked to recover as much of the rigging as he could but the breeze is now more than twenty knots with very rough seas. The solo sailor must now make his way to Falmouth alone, around twenty miles away.
The reasons for this dismasting are not currently known. Until Wolf Rock, Elies had, had a strong start to Leg 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard Cashemire. He had managed to work his way up through the fleet to take the lead just after Start Point last night.
If Elies can get the boat repaired in time, he will be able to rejoin the race in Plymouth at the start of Leg 2. He will face a time penalty of 2 hours on top of the time accumulated by the last sailor to finish Leg 1.
Yann Elies: "I was just adjusting the weight in the boat after the rounding (Wolf Rock) and I heard a crack...This is my first dismasting in the race, with the entire mast in the water..."
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