The leader of Vendee Globe has suffered an unforeseen setback in the course of his race around the world. The sudden and unforeseen damage was caused by a submerged object that his boat collided with while he was sailing the South Atlantic waters.
The accident took place on Saturday as his boat suddenly struck an object that was not detected before as it was submerged. The damage has led to the metal foil of his yacht being torn off, which has allowed his opponents to catch up with him. He was on his way to being able to break the existing record of the number of nautical miles he had covered in the time span of the number of days he had set sail. This race is a grueling one and toughest of its kind which requires the participants to sail around the world alone and unassisted.
Thomson was forced to reduce speed due to the damage that his boat suffered. He has a lead of 125 nautical miles which whittled down to 90 miles and it has helped his competitors to close up and gain ground. Thomson was planning to stay ahead as he reached the Cape of Good Hope where he would have tacked and started off by using the other foil that was available to him. Till he reaches the Cape of Good Hope, he would have to continue with what he has – a bit like taking out a Croatia Yacht Charter and not being able to get back to the home marina!
It is definitely a setback for him as he was looking to break the existing record and was ahead of the fleet of 29 boats. He has participated in the 2012-13 race last and had finished in the third position. He is one of the skippers who is currently using the Dali mustache as the lifting foil in his boat. This device is designed to help keep the boats above the water as there is a dragging effect. This in turn lightens the load and also helps to increase speed of the vessel.