They happen in threes...

This time it is a French sailor involved in a car crash

Following the near terminal car crash of Brad Butterworth and Dawn Riley in Newport just prior to the UBS Trophy and last Thursday's accident in Athens when Danish Star sailor Nicklas Holm ran over and killed a British pedestrian, so we have also heard about former Mini sailor and Vendee Globe competitor Karen Leibovici who was involved in an accident in La Rochelle on Monday, 9 August.

The accident came about when Leibovici was en route to a meeting with her physiotherapist. En route she swerved to avoid a car and crashed into a wall. The solo sailor ended up in hospital undergoing surgery to fix a fractured her sternum and damage to her vertebra (D12).

Despite her injuries Leibovici is forging on towards the start of the singlehanded non-stop round the world race in November, still looking for a principle sponsor while her boat, originally Jean-Luc van den Heede's famous red yawl, is undergoing a month-long refit.

"The objective is to make it reliable to the maximum degree while trying out a few experiments on board as I did on The Transat or my course of qualification. We will change the sail, the electrics on board." Leibovici then plans to road test her new gear with a 1,000 mile offshore passage.

While Leibovici still is full steam ahead to compete in the Vendee Globe because of her injuries she will not be competing in the Route d'Elissa, a unique women's race between Lebanon and Tunisia in Beneteau 40.7s, that sets sail on 29 August.