Race leader pulls into port

Thomas Coville's Sodebo, first victim in Challenge Mondial Assistance

Monday May 12th 2003, Author: James Boyd, Location: Transoceanic
After leading the Challenge Mondial fleet through the night this morning Thomas Coville's Sodebo has had to head for port to effect repairs. In a conversation with race HQ, Coville explained that the titanium shaft of the downhaul ram that attaches through the foredeck to the tack of the Solent had broken. Unable to achieve uff tension in this vital sail they are making for the boat's homeport of La Trinite-sur-Mer 100 miles away. They are due in at 1800GMT tonight.

At the noon radio session a very disappointed Thomas Coville said "the boat was going flat out last night and as we were leading the fleet it feels like treason. It was while sailing tack for tack with Belgacom that Sodebo suffered the damage - a problem that could well have caused the trimaran to dismast. The mast is currently held up by the trinquette stay and the halyard gennaker to make up for the breakage of this principal stay.

Currently Lalou Roucayrol's Banque Populaire and Jean-Luc Nelias on Belgacom are fighting it out for first place with Bayer Cropscience just 6 miles behind as the three boats cross the Bay of Biscay.

The boats are currently sailing in a 15-20 knot northwesterly wind but this is due to veer to the north and increase marginally over the course of this afternoon and evening - before decreasing tomorrow as a weak high pressure system forms just to the west of Cape Finistere.

Pos Name Lat Long SOG COG DTF DTL
1 Banque Populaire 46 45.92' N 5 22.52' W 16.4 185 2421 0
2 Belgacom 46 25.86' N 5 34.92' W 14.2 195 2422 0.6
3 Bayer CropScience 46 23.94' N 5 19.38' W 14.4 182 2428 6.6
4 Géant 46 31.72' N 5 25.64' W 13.2 193 2442 21
5 Bonduelle 47 04.14' N 5 37.62' W 13.9 272 2446 24.6
6 Groupama 47 00.80' N 6 10.60' W 11.3 215 2448 26.8
7 Banque Covefi 47 49.14' N 5 27.60' W 15.8 185 2450 28.4
8 Gitana 47 12.84' N 4 59.76' W 12.8 198 2455 33.9
9 Foncia 47 35.94' N 6 24.18' W 9.7 268 2467 45.7
10 Sopra Group 47 21.96' N 4 47.92' W 13.4 189 2468 46.8
11 Sergio Tacchini 47 36.30' N 6 07.86' W 12.4 196 2469 47.9
12 Sodebo 47 20.88' N 3 31.56' W 21.6 88 2533 111

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