Team Banque Populaire making repairs in Transat Café L'OR
by Voile Banque Populaire 27 Oct 10:20 GMT
27 October 2025
Team Banque Populaire making repairs in Lorient during the Transat Café L'OR © Tanguy Conq / BPCE
Armel Le Cléac'h: "The team is working hard to get us back on the road as quickly as possible"
The members of Team Banque Populaire have been working tirelessly through the night. After detecting a rudder problem, Armel Le Cléac'h and Sébastien Josse, in consultation with the team, decided to stop at their base in Lorient. The objective? Replace the rudder and its surroundings, secure the boat, and set off again as quickly as possible. A time trial where every minute counts in order to return to competition later today. A brief update with skippers Armel Le Cléac'h, Sébastien Josse, and Team Director Erwan Steff.
The circumstances of the damage
Armel Le Cléac'h : "Despite the conditions with a rough sea in the English Channel, we were sticking to our route map. We were actually in contact with SVR-Lazartigue, who was making progress a few dozen meters away. When it came to making our last tack in a long series, during the manoeuvrer, we unfortunately forgot to lock the rudder, a mechanical system that locks the rudder in the lowered position. It then shot up violently, which damaged part of the system and all the parts that make it up; it quickly became uncontrollable. We contacted the technical team to consider changing parts as quickly as possible."
Sébastien Josse : "It happened last night, during our last tack after leaving the Channel. That's when we had a problem with the 'locking' on our port rudder. We discovered that it was stuck in the lower position. These are boats where everything is measured to the millimetre, we immediately saw that there was a problem."
A necessary stopover
Armel Le Cléac'h: "We then kept in constant contact with the shore team. The goal was to organise ourselves as best we could to allow us to repair as quickly as possible. We quickly made the decision to change the entire rudder and the rudder cap (which protects it when it is in the raised position - editor's note). These are repairs that we can do; we have everything we need. The team is therefore installing our emergency rudder, securing everything before we set off again as quickly as possible."
Erwan Steff: "For our part, we were on our way to Brest so we could be responsive in case of a problem. As soon as we got the call from Armel and Sébastien, we quickly understood that our best chance of repairing it was to bring the boat back to Lorient. We have our base there, the parts, the tools. The boat arrived at 6 a.m. this morning and the whole team has been mobilised like never before. There are repairs and some composite work to be done. In addition, we have to respect a technical stopover of at least 4 hours (which is set by the race instructions). The clock is ticking: as soon as we can, we'll set off again."
Team mobilisation
Armel Le Cléac'h: "Everyone responded to the call so we could react as quickly as possible. With Pierre-Emmanuel Hérissé, the team's technical director, we listed the parts we needed and the tasks to be completed. It wasn't easy to diagnose the problem quickly because of the sea conditions and the night. But the team is ready to go and will do everything we can to ensure we leave with a functional system."
Sébastien Josse: "We're lucky to be part of a team that knows how to react to this kind of circumstance. There's a sense of mutual support and a mobilisation that we rarely see elsewhere!"
Erwan Steff: "It's not difficult to mobilise the team during these times. The hardest part is keeping them motivated, making sure everyone gets some sleep to be as efficient as possible during the technical stopover. Everyone's spirit is impeccable."
The desire to get back into racing
Armel Le Cléac'h: "Obviously, it's a shame to have had to stop, especially since we were on the right track and had a good start... but that's part of the race. Now we have to move forward, allow ourselves to look ahead because the race is still long. There's still a lot to do. And psychologically, we're still in the race."
Sébastien Josse: "There are two passages through the doldrums and we know firsthand that there are always a lot of unforeseen events. Obviously, it's always better to make progress in the same weather system, which won't be the case when we set off again, where the high pressure ridge over the Bay of Biscay means a little less wind. Still, we know we can go fast and that anything is still possible."
Erwan Steff: "Today, we can't see any other option than to start again. We love ocean racing and we know that it's a motor sport and that anything can happen. However, the race has only just begun: there's always a place of honour to be won."