Foil damage aboard second placed Groupe Dubreuil

The skipper of Groupe Dubreuil was sailing at night at 49°S between the Kerguelen Islands and the south of Australia in rough but manageable conditions (25 knots from the northwest and 5 metres of swell from the west), when "the boat suddenly went all over the place". Immediately he set about easing his sails to right his boat but realised immediately it was no longer responding in the same way. 

After an initial inspection of his boat in the night which confirmed there was no collateral damage, Sébastien Simon completed his checks of the boat this morning. The IMOCA Groupe Dubreuil is still in good condition and Simon is continuing his race with the same determination he has shown since the start. 

In recent days, the sailor from the Vendée region has distinguished himself by escaping at the head of the race thanks to a bold option in the Indian Ocean. That choice has paid off as he has significantly widened the gap with the rest of the fleet along with the leader, Charlie Dalin. This Sunday at the end of the morning, Simon is still more than 200 miles ahead of the third-placed skipper.

After dealing with his starboard foil damage the skipper of Groupe Dubreuil has not given up, even if he admits "this really is very hard to take". He is pleased to be able to contain his lead over the rest of the fleet and he says he knows that this round the world race still has some great surprises in store. 

He acknowledged, “That's part of the game, it's a mechanical sport. Now it's about staying focused and having fun". 

His last few hours of sailing without a starboard foil show that his motivation is intact: he is currently making good progress with good average speeds (16-18 knots) in 20-25 knots of wind and 4 metres of westerly swell.