November 17, 2018
The Class40 Edenred rerouted to Madeira
At 2:00pm CET this Saturday, Emmanuel Le Roch, skipper of the Class40 Edenred, engaged on the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe informed the Route du Rhum race management and his partner Edenred that he suffered several major damage after a new depression on Friday. In 23rd place this Saturday, the skipper is forced to make his way to the Madeira archipelago, located about 350 miles from his position.
Following the passage of a fifth depression on Friday, "the worst boat-breaking since the start" said Emmanuel Le Roch, a larger wave than the others seriously damaged the Edenred Class40. Emmanuel quickly found that his two autopilots were out of service and that the mast structural bulkhead had cracked at both ends. In this context, the sailor hove to part of the night to preserve his boat and wait for the sunrise to repair. After spending the morning in connection with his technical team trying unsuccessfully to find solutions, Emmanuel decided to make his way to Madeira.
The explanations of Emmanuel Le Roch, skipper of the Class40 Edenred:
"On Friday, I managed all day to pass the front and things turned out quite well. The wind wasn't so strong but the sea was like crazy. There were 8 to 9-meter high waves in all directions. I did not experience such a boat-breaking sea since the departure. At the end of the day, the boat jumped on a huge wave and violently fell back. I heard a loud creak and I immediately realized that the mast bulkhead was damaged. Now sailing without any autopilot, I'm stuck at the helm sailing downwind to get out of these sea conditions as soon as possible. When the things will improve, I will heave to again in order to try to repair the bulkhead and secure the mast."
In good health, Emmanuel Le Roch keeps his spirits up and remains focused on driving his boat to reach Madeira where he is expected in a few days.
