After colliding with an unidentified object in the South Atlantic, Tom Laperche’s maxi-trimaran, launched in a solo round-the-world race, suffered “major damage”. After a great start in Brest on January 7, he had been in the lead for a long time.
The SVR-Lazartigue team announced Thursday that the maxi-trimaran helmed by Tom Laperche, launched in a solo round-the-world race, suffered “major damage” to a fin after colliding with an unidentified object in the South Atlantic.
“The collision damaged the drift well, causing a significant flow of water which remains stabilized. Tom Laperche is safe and assisted by his technical team (remotely, editor’s note) to assess the damage,” the team specified in a statement. At 8 a.m. in France, the maxi-trimaran helmed by the 26-year-old navigator, the youngest of the competitors, was in 2nd position in the fleet, 1,300 miles (2,000 km) from Cape Town, in South Africa.
[FLASH INFO : AVARIE MAJEURE SUR SVR-LAZARTIGUE]
The press release for all the information: https://t.co/PvMhOMzdAb
Guillaume Gatefait
️ @agencelignebleue pic.twitter.com/pNQAikQZOR— Trimaran SVR-LAZARTIGUE (@SVRLazartigue) January 18, 2024
Charles Caudrelier, now sole leader
After a great start in Brest on January 7, SVR-Lazartigue was in the lead for a long time, in contact with the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild of navigator Charles Caudrelier, now the sole leader. The two sailboats were expected at the Cape of Good Hope on Friday to begin the grueling crossing of the Indian Ocean and the South Seas.
The organizers of the Ultim Challenge, the first solo round-the-world race between trimarans, have authorized technical stops for the six sailors entered. However, they must last a minimum of 24 hours once arrived in a port. On Monday, Armel Le Cléac’h’s Maxi Banque Populaire XI stopped in Récife in Brazil to repair part of its central hull. He left a day later after losing more than 1,000 miles to his competitors.