Thursday, January 8, 2009

PRB DISMASTED & IS UNDER TOW... IN PORT


Photo http://www.emol.com
At 0145hrs GMT this morning the Chilean Navy patrol vessel Alacalufe took PRB under tow after the fourth placed Open 60 dismasted last night only eight miles after the Cape Horn light.
PRB is due to arrive in Port Williams, the ‘southernmost town in the world’ at around 0845GMT this morning.

At the front of the fleet Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) and leader Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) are now separated by over 250 miles west to east and Jourdain is now effectively further north, but still computed to be second by 105 miles.

Sam Davies, GBR, (Roxy) breaks her boom vang but can expect to be promoted to fourth when official retirement of PRB is received.

According to the Chilean Navy PRB was taken under tow at around 0145hrs early this morning and is making about 10 knots towards Port Williams, home of the 33 metres patrol vessel Alacalufe which attended to Vincent Riou and Jean Le Cam last night after PRB’s compromised rig gave up in 25 knots of breeze some 8 miles NW of the Cape Horn light.

The duo had been joking only hours earlier about making Vendée Globe history as the first ever duo to pass Cape Horn on the same boat, when they believe the temporary lashing which they had put in place to support the broken port outrigger gave way and the mast tumbled over the side. Riou has not been able to start his engine for some time, and due to their proximity to the islands, there was insufficient time to set a jury rig, although they have retained the boom.
Making around 10 knots under tow, PRB is due to reach Port Williams at around 0845hrs GMT this morning. -
Update:
Vincent Riou, whose dramatic rescue of stricken Vendee Globe yachting rival Jean Le Cam scuppered his own boat, has touched down in southern Chile.

Riou's PRB yacht, with Le Cam also on board, was escorted into Puerto Williams by the Chilean navy.

'We are in Puerto Williams, we arrived five minutes ago,' Riou said in a radio link-up with Paris-based organisers at 1000 GMT.

The commander of the 'Alacalufe' patrol boat that escorted the two French navigators into port said the pair were in good health.

'They were rescued and found to be in good health,' Arnaldo Peralta told AFP.