Mike Golding sailing Ecover 3 was dismasted at 0647 hrs in winds over 50 knots this morning only hours after taking the lead in the Vendée Globe around the world race. He plans to set a just rig and head to an Australian port within 24-48 hours once the next storm has passed.
Golding is the latest to be forced out of the race since last Wednesday when Loïck Peyron lost his mast. Since then Dominique Wavre, SUI (Temenos II) had his his keel head snap off then Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Cheminées Poujoulat) suffered rudder bearings failure before being holed overnight whilst trying to moor in the Kerguelen Islands.
Vendee Globe
Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) now leads the Vendée Globe fleet, completing his remarkable recovery from last place to the head of the fleet in 35 days. At one point he had a deficit of 670 miles to the leaders.
Jean Baptiste Dejeanty (Groupe Maisonneuve) also abandoned the Vendée Globe today.
In six days five boats have been damaged, including Gitana Eighty, Temenos II, Cheminées Poujoulat, Ecover 3 and Groupe Maisonneuve, and Paprec-Virbac II is limping north where skipper Jean-Pierre Dick hopes to repair his damaged rudders. Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), leader for more than a week, who confirmed he had hit something and had damaged his rudder head mechanisms.
Vendee Globe Rankings
Updated December 16 2008 – For updated ranking see: Vendée Globe Rankings
- Michel Desjoyeaux – Foncia
- Roland Jourdain – Veolia Environnement
- Sébastien Josse – BT
- Jean Le Cam – VM Matériaux
- Jean-Pierre Dick, Paprec Virbac 2
- Armel Le Cléac´h – Brit Air
- Vincent Riou, PRB
- Marc Guillemont – Safran
- Yann Eliès – Generali
- Samantha Davies – Roxy
- Brian Thompson – Pindar
- Dee Caffari – Aviva
- Arnaud Boissières – Akena Vérandas
- Steve White – Toe in the Water (Spirit of Weymouth)
- Jonny Malbon – Artemis
- Rich Wilson – Great American III
- Derek Hatfield – Algimouss Spirit of Canada
- Raphaël Dinelli – Fondation Océan Vital
- Norbert Sedlacek – Nauticsport-Kapsch
11 yachts total out of the Vendee Globe since the start:
- Jérémie Beyou, Delta Dore
- Kito de Pavant, Groupe Bel
- Bernard Stamm, Cheminées Poujoulat
- Dominique Wavre, Temenos
- Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty, Groupe Maisoneuve
- Alex Thomson, Hugo Boss
- Yannick Bestaven, Aquarelle.com
- Raphaël Dinelli, Fondation Ocean Vital
- Loick Peyron, Gitana Eighty
- Marc Thiercelin, DCNS
- Mike Golding, Ecover 3
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Filed under: boat, boating, boats, ocean racing, offshore racing, sailboat race, sailboats, sailing, sailing race, singlehanding, yacht race, yachting, yachts | Tagged: boat, boating, boats, dismast, Ecover, Ecover 3, Jean Pierre Dick, JP Dick, Loick Peyron, Mike Golding, sail, sailboat, sailboats, sailing, Vendee, Vendee GLobe, Vendee Globe 2008-2009, Vendee Globe yacht race
