Sam Goodchild has torn his mainsail
Sam Goodchild, the British skipper of the IMOCA VULNERABLE, informed his technical team shortly before midday UTC that his mainsail has torn. It literally exploded during a sudden unexpected gybe when his autopilot let go. The tear is reported to be at the level of the 3rd batten, across the entire width, from leech to luff, as VULNERABLE battled winds of almost 30 knots. With his mainsail dropped entirely Sam has resumed his course, with the J2 and J3 set on either side in 'scissors'. He had been fighting tooth and nail since the latitude of Itajai in Brazil with Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and was in fifth place. He will now put all his efforts into finishing his first Vendée Globe, in the best possible position.
I was passing the low off the Azores, we were passing the strongest wind and sea when we suffered a litttle 'woop woop', with a reef with the mainsail well sheeted with pilot giving out down a wave. The mainsail went from one side to the other breaking battens and exploding into two pieces. The tear is quite high. I can't take a 3rd reef, but a repair is possible. At the moment, we've got heavy seas and 30 knots of wind, which isn’t ideal for a repair. I'm going to go as far east as I can and try to get out of the northerly wind repair a little later. It does not mean the Vendee Globe is over but it is not going to be the same end I had hoped for. It's damage limitation now. I'm just trying to get my boat back home in one piece. It is pretty disappointing but we knew the risks were there, and unfortunately it bit me this time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
