The victory was almost acquise?! Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), who had chosen a much more northerly route than his competitors from the start of the race, had thus taken the lead in the fleet, ahead of the Meilhat/Riou/Eliès trio. While the first few days, the quartet sailed in the same latitudes, Thomson had taken a break in recent days, beating its pursuers by 200 miles...
He was to be the 4th solo sailor in any category to join Guadeloupe - and he will be - and win this 2018 Route du Rhum in IMOCA - nothing could be less certain... Indeed, the British candidate ran aground at the foot of a cliff north of Grande-Terre, just south of the Grande Vigie lighthouse on La Pointe à Claude, 75 miles from the finish line, at around 9:45 p. m. (local time) on Thursday, November 15
The reasons for this stranding are not yet known: fatigue?? Driver problem automatique?? Nevertheless, even if the skipper has not suffered any physical damage, the boat has caused him a lot of damage. The crash box and bowsprit were damaged, causing water to escape, which was circumscribed by the watertight bulkhead of the forepeak. The starboard foil is damaged. According to Alex, the keel and its structure were also affected without being able to make a more accurate diagnosis in the middle of the night.
To get off the cliffs, the skipper of Hugo Boss had to lower the sails and start his engine. Once out of the reefs he put the mainsail back on and shut down his engine, on which he installed a new lead. As a reminder, some elements do not have the right to be used in racing, notably the engine. A seal is therefore placed on it before the start of the race and checked at the finish
The IMOCA is therefore continuing its course towards the finish line at a speed of 5 knots with another 25 miles to go. A SNSM launch has been dispatched to the site and is ready to respond if necessary.
The race management informed the international jury, which claimed against him for unsealing the engine. And this could have serious consequences, as if the leader of the IMOCA fleet were to suffer a penalty - or even a disqualification - it could completely restart the race for his two pursuers - Paul Meilhat (SMA) and Yann Eliès (Ucar-Saint Michel), 166 and 182 miles respectively from Alex Thomson.
