Route du rhum: the big scare of Damien Seguin, hit by a cargo ship

More fear than harm. During the night from Thursday to Friday, the skipper Damien Seguin of the Apicil Group was hit by a cargo ship off Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée). Leaving since Wednesday from Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), after a delay of three days on the scheduled departure, the competitors of the 12th edition of the Route du rhum never stop experiencing adventures.

For the French skipper, this accident led to the dismasting of the 60′ monohull but the skipper was unscathed.

“Last night at 3:30 a.m., while sailing in 14th position in manageable wind conditions with little sea, a cargo ship struck Damien Seguin’s IMOCA Groupe APICIL, his team said in a press release. This impact led to the dismasting of the 60′ monohull. He immediately informed Jean-Charles Monnet his technical director and the race direction. The skipper is fine and uninjured. He is currently trying to clear the mast and has set up flash lights to be spotted. He does not ask for help. The boat was sailing 250 miles to the west of Les Sables d’Olonne at the time of dismasting. »

Damien Seguin (43), 7th in the last Vendée Globe, is taking part in the Route du rhum for the fourth time. Born without a left hand, the native of Briançon (Hautes-Alpes) was Paralympic champion in 2004 and 2016.

In terms of the classification, shortly after 8 a.m. this Friday, Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) is more than ever the leader with a 26-mile lead over François Gabart (SVR-Lazartigue) and more than 45 over Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3 ). Under the threat of a four-hour penalty, Caudrelier saw his appeal accepted by the jury, which lifted the sanction.