Kito de Pavant, the Mediterranean skipper of the Vendée Globe, suffered a major water ingress aboard his boat when he was in 10th place in the rankings, to the north of the Crozet Islands. He alerted his shore crew, who informed the race directors of the damage on Tuesday 6th December 2016 at 0900 hours (French time).
Kito de Pavant was sailing at 16 knots under mainsail and two reefs in heavy seas, when his boat suffered a violent collision with the keel after encountering a UFO.
" I hit something hard with the pin. The shock was brutal and the boat came to a dead stop. The after bearing of the keel was torn off. The keel hangs under the boat just held by the keel jack which is shearing the hull ... The keel well is torn off, there is a large water ingress at this level, but contained for the moment in the engine compartment. Currently there are 40 knots of wind and 5 to 6 metres of waves in the area. The boat is stopped. I've lowered the mainsail so that it doesn't heel as much. The situation is stabilised for the moment. The survival gear is next to me. You're going to have to come and get me. I'm contacting the Marion Dufresne to come to the area." explained the skipper by phone.
The Vendée Globe Race Direction immediately alerted the Gris Nez MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) to inform them of the damage and organise rescue operations. The Cross has warned the Marion Dufresne, who is currently positioned 110 nautical miles north of where Kito de Pavant is in the northern Crozet Islands. He should be on zone in around ten hours.
Update of December 6 at the end of the day
Kito has lowered all his sails and remains on the alert inside Bastide Otio which is drifting at 3 knots towards the South-West, north of the Crozet Islands. He is in permanent contact with the Vendée Globe Race Direction, to whom he has notified his retirement, and Marion Dufresne has just arrived in the area. She is a French vessel, which is responsible in particular for supplying the French Southern and Antarctic Territories in the South Indian Ocean. However, it will be necessary to wait until daybreak (around 1:00 am, Paris time) to launch the rescue operation in good conditions.
"- around 8:00 a.m. UT, I hit a UFO, hard, because the shock was very dry and brutal..
- The boat came to a dead stop and then set sail again..
- the rudders have not touched anything and are intact
- a creak in the keel alerted me at once
- the aft keel bearing was badly damaged..
- i roll up the headsail to slow the boat down..
- when I go back to check the condition of the keel, she's only holding on by her front bearing. The aft bearing has disappeared with a good piece of hull bottom..
- then, it ends up sliding from its front bearing to hold a few tens of centimetres lower than the cylinder rod
- very serious damage, impossible to repair and potentially dangerous for my safety..
- the cylinder rod gradually tears the hull to starboard until the rod is vertical
- the keel well itself is badly damaged, causing an ingress of water, fortunately contained in the engine compartment
- the jack well is also open to the abyss and water threatened to fill the other compartments aft, particularly the battery compartment
- which is why I've decided to change course
- the boat drifts dry of canvas towards the South-West at about 3 knots
- there are 30 knots of wind and 5/6 m of waves in the area. The water is 5°C.
- the situation does not allow me to consider any other solution than evacuating the boat..
- the risk of capsizing is too great
- and most importantly, I can't move the boat or I'll make things worse..
You can probably imagine my dismay, my disappointment on this race, decidedly cursed.
I am sincerely sorry for all the people who believed in this project; Bastide Médical, Otio-Groupe HBF, all the Made in Midi partners, Elteans, Quadran and the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region, all the friends, the growing number of fans, the family, the Sixteam team, etc.
I can't tell you how hard it is to imagine that I'm going to have to leave the boat, with all the energy it has taken over the past two and a half years.
But then, first life, then the rest..." explains the sailor.
