the misadventure of the Englishman David Paul

Special envoy on boardExpress

While he was at the back of the pack at the end of the day on Tuesday, the trajectory of David Paul (Just a Drop) intrigued the race management on land. Her speed had dropped from 7.5 knots to 1.5 knots. At 12:15 a.m., the Briton contacted Francis Le Goff, the race director at sea, to explain that he had something stuck in his keel. Five minutes later, Express, the media boat, was diverted to assist him when he was 28 miles ahead of the unfortunate man.

Around 2:45 a.m., the motor trimaran Express arrived near the Figaro Beneteau 3 and noticed with his searchlights that a drift net was hooked to the keel. The conditions are complicated and the swell bad with 25 knots of wind. Bob Escoffier, the boss of the assistance vessel, decides to wait until daybreak to intervene.

Read alsoSolitaire du Figaro: the long road to Lorient

The operation is launched as explained by Bob Escoffier: “I had had part of the night to think about how to proceed. In fact, we got as close as possible. We had prepared a small grapple that we sent into the net, which then allowed us to pull on it in reverse. And we were very lucky because the boat was released quickly. David Paul could resume his journey, out of the race of course. The boat and the man will return to Lorient, located 220 miles away. We hope to arrive before the first line crosses, around 9:00 am Thursday.»

This mishap is synonymous with abandonment in the first stage, but fortunately, the Figaro 3 suffered no apparent structural damage. The time retained following this abandonment will be that of the last classified competitor of the first stage, to which will be added an increase of two hours.