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Antoine de Malleray, a long-running misfortune
Nothing is spared for Antoine de Malleray (950 âeuros Emmeraude Voile Solidaire). After a first forced stopover in Mindelo, Cape Verde, last weekend due to an electrical problem, the skipper thought he was back on course. But there was another setback: a rough start caused major damage, including the disabling of his batteries and a GPS connection failure. Back in Mindelo since yesterday, he hopes to be able to set off again before 3:20 at the latest tonight (French time) to remain officially in the race. If not, he will return to Guadeloupe by convoy, with the same determination.
He joins Uros Krasevac (759 âeuros Ashika II), still waiting for an autopilot worm. Thimothée Villain-Amirat (756 âeuros Speedy Maltese), who had already left, also took advantage of his technical stopover to lend a helping hand to his comrades, in a fine spirit of solidarity typical of the Mini.
Thiemo Huuk dismasted but not defeated
Another unusual scenario: Thiemo Huuk (1003 âeuros Europe) lost his mast yesterday. The German skipper, now under jury rig, was assisted by a support boat to secure his equipment. He is nevertheless continuing his crossing to Guadeloupe, at over 4 knots. Conditions are rough â?" cross seas, 20 knots of wind â?" but he expects to be able to set a larger sail later today. He reckons he still has 16 to 20 days at sea, with enough food on board to see him through. A lesson in resilience.
Benoît Marie goes from strength to strength, Bourgnon on the lookout
At the head of the Proto fleet, Benoît Marie (1067 âeuros Nicomatic âeuros Petit Bateau) has perfectly overcome the consequences of the technical damage that slowed him down at the end of last week. Today, she is averaging a speed of 14.4 knots over the last 24 hours, with 348 miles covered in the same period. An impressive figure at this stage of the crossing.
Behind him, Mathis Bourgnon (934 âeuros Assomast) is keeping up with him, 43 miles behind, still clinging to the transom. The two skippers are engaged in a breathless maneuver, more than 800 miles from the finish in Saint-François, Guadeloupe.
In this high-flying duel, every mile, every gybe and every adjustment counts. And if Benoît Marie seems to have regained the upper hand, the final sprint promises to be intense all the way to the Caribbean coast.
