Armel Le Cléac’h is not in luck in this Arkea Ultim Challenge. His journey to Brest had already been hampered by stopovers in Recife and Rio de Janeiro, this time he is stuck 1,700 miles from Brittany. His boat, Banque Populaire XI, was affected by damage to the foredeck. The French skipper warned his team at the end of the afternoon.
Currently third in the race, he was supposed to arrive in France within a few days. He is now looking for solutions to repair his ship and return safely. The damage led to a leak in the front hull of his boat. The skipper said he was fine.
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Armel warned his team of damage to the front deck of the boat which led to a leak into the central hull. Armel is doing well, and is considering repair solutions. More info to come. pic.twitter.com/IQLHazvOFv— ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE – Brest (@ARKEAULTIMCHALL) February 28, 2024
This edition of the Arkea Ultim Challenge was marked by the numerous obstacles that the sailors had to face. In particular the weather, particularly unfavorable this year. The winner of the race, Charles Caudrelier, who arrived in Brest on Tuesday morning, had to make a stopover in the Azores at the end of last week.
The Frenchman finally completed his world tour in 50 days, 19 hours and 7 minutes. The second in the race, Thomas Coville, should arrive in Finistère this Thursday, shortly after noon. The numerous bad weather conditions somewhat diminished the interest in the race, quickly eclipsing the skippers’ record dreams.
