An eventful round-the-world departure for Fabrice Amedeo
Fabrice Amedeo set off on his second Vendée on Sunday November 8. Read all the news about him every Friday.
First week / #1SEMAINEDUVDG
Every Friday, discover the round-the-world adventures of our Navigator Fabrice Amedeo.
- Friday, November 13, 2020
The big start in Le Sables d'Olonne
Last Sunday at 2:20 pm, Fabrice Amedeo set sail for two to three months of racing around the world. The fleet set off in a south-easterly wind of around ten knots, on flat seas, offering a magnificent spectacle. The skipper set off serenely and happily, before encountering a major technical problem.
Fabrice Amedeo turns back towards the port of Olonna
Fabrice Amedeo was forced to turn back due to a problem with his headsail hook. Located 50 nautical miles off the coast, it was finally in the middle of the night that Fabrice Amedeo returned to Le Sables for repairs. His team mobilized to solve the problem, while respecting the sanitary bubble. By sunrise, the damage was more extensive than identified and required a longer intervention than expected. With the help of the competing teams, the IMOCA was finally able to set sail again. A fine initiative which proves the strength of the collective, even in a single-handed round-the-world race.
"Everyone reminds me that Michel Desjoyeaux stopped for 40 hours in Les Sables d'Olonne and won in 2008."
A second start cheered on by the people of Sablais
At 10:15pm on Tuesday November 11, the IMOCA left the Vendée Globe pontoon to begin the descent of the channel in Les Sables d'Olonne. Fabrice Amedeo and his team were expecting a low-key return to the race, but they didn't count on the fervor of the people of Sables d'Olonne, who came out to cheer him along the quayside. Many of them had reserved the time they were allowed out, to make the start an exceptional moment. All the more reason to cheer the skipper, who has some 450 miles to make up on the rear of the fleet.
"We need people's energy to set off around the world and this is it, I'm ready! Thank you all!"
Our navigator continues on his bumpy road
Yesterday, the meteorological episode that had passed over his competitors put his boat to the test. As a result, the autopilot actuator rod fell off and an electrical wire was ripped out, putting the entire computer network out of action: no Internet, no link between his computer and the on-board electronics. This morning, everything has been repaired.
Fabrice Amedeo confesses that he's not much of a handyman, but at sea, there's no such thing as plan B.
"To fail was to return to port and spend the winter by the fire. So I succeeded."
We hope that this episode of bad luck is behind him, and that what follows will be more forgiving for our navigator, who has been far from spared at the start of this Vendée Globe.
"When I embarked on my first round-the-world race, Michel Desjoyeaux told me: "You'll see, the Vendée is a pain in the ass every day". Right now, I'm up to three a day!