Armel Le Cléac'h capsizes after being in the leading peloton, cascading abandonments on the Route du Rhum

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.

Again on Tuesday, Armel Le Cléac'h was in the leading pack, in rough seas. "It's still windy. We're heading towards an area with less wind this evening. It's definitely going to slow down. Come on, let's not give up!", said the skipper of Maxi Banque Populaire XI. But on the morning of Wednesday, November 4, around 5:30 a.m., his boat capsized after passing the Azores archipelago (Portugal). In Lorient (Morbihan), his entire team received reassuring news. “Everything is fine on board, he is inside the boat dry, he has food, water. And the race management informed us that an oil tanker was heading towards him, which could take a few hours,” reports Erwan Steff, director of Team Banque Populaire.

Among the skippers, the information spread quickly. The concern is shared. “This Wednesday morning, I learned about Armel's capsize. I don't know how to talk to you about what else, I just hope that Armel is well,” reacted Louis Burton, skipper of Armand Thiery.

The third capsize

This is the third capsize after Francis Joyon on Monday and Mathieu Perraut during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, which was still filmed the day before. For some, the damage is spectacular. Quentin Le Nabour, skipper of Bleu Blanc Planète Location, has dismasted. “This time, it’s over for the Route du Rhum on Bleu Blanc. It will have been short, but it won’t have spared us,” he commented, disappointed.

Already on Sunday, Violette Dorange collided with Romain Pilliard. Since then, Charles Caudrelier, the last winner of the race in record time, has also suffered damage. Currently, Tom Laperche is leading the race. The record is still possible by Sunday morning. But on the Route du Rhum, life is not necessarily a long, calm ocean...