Vendee Update–First Damage, Leaks And Collisions: A broken bowsprit on UUDS, a trip up the mast for Alex Thomson, and collisions with tree trunks and underwater objects unknown. No one ever said the Vendee would be easy, even when it’s supposedly on the easy part of the course. Check out the latest report here. Through it all Vincent Riou, on PRB, continues to lead as the boats head out into the open Atlantic past Finisterre (rankings here). Next landmark on the way to the Equator: the Canary Islands. Our man Alex Thomson is in second, despite a trip up the mast to retrieve a running sail that had wrapped itself in knots. Mike Golding is in 6th, biding his time and conserving his boat and energy. Special feature of the day comes from Nick Moloney, on Skandia, who managed to transmit some video. Definitely check out “Aft Camera at 20 Knots,” and “Mast Camera At 20 Knots.” Not so sure what the video ambiguously titled “Morning Number 2” is, but I’m not sure I want to find out…



Reality Racing On Skandia?: “Damn, all that freeze-dried fiber is really kicking in. Better flip on the autopilot and fetch the video camera…”

(Photo: DPPI)