On Thursday 24th November 2016, Morgan Lagravière, entered in the Vendée Globe race aboard the IMOCA Safran, and currently in fourth place in the leading pack, collided with a UFO. At 12:10 pm, he informed his shore team of the damage to his rudder.
The skipper taking part in his first Vendée Globe was sailing at a speed of 18-19 knots. His boat went down and Morgan noticed that the starboard rudder was up and that part of the rudder was broken. He assumed that the damage was due to a collision with a UFO (Unidentified Floating Object).
The young skipper keeps in touch with his team to assess the possibility of repairs and to continue the race. He is currently sailing around 400 miles west of the Cape of Good Hope.
" I had a very rough night with autopilot problems. I had between 20-25 knots of wind and the boat was out of control. I went down 4 or 5 times. While I was taking a nap in the middle of the day, I felt the boat go off in a heap. On the way out, I noticed that the lee-side rudder was out of its socket and two-thirds of it was missing. I think it was due to a collision with a UFO*.
Unfortunately, I don't have the money to repair such damage, so this is the end for me.
However, I want to keep in mind the positive points of this adventure: 18 extraordinary days of racing aboard a very high performance boat, with which I've always stayed in the loop. This single-handed course was also an opportunity to learn a little more about myself and what is important in life. I want to thank all my shore crew and all the fans who have supported me."
