This report is direct from the Fuji support team

“Loïck had just started working on the deck in order to reinforce the mast when his starboard float, broken in two between the crossbeams, eventually snapped off. As a result, Fujifilm’s mast, which was not supported on starboard anymore, fell down. In its fall, the spar damaged the port float, which is currently full of water. Loïck is alright, ‘I just spoke to him on the phone, and his voice is calm’, says Thierry Brault, head of the Fujifilm yard.

“Aboard Fujifilm, the situation is changing fast and Loïck now has to face a few more problems, generated by the dismasting. More stable now that the spar is not up anymore, Fujifilm nevertheless suffers new damage on the port float. ‘The risk,’ adds Thierry Brault, ‘is that the leftover float might come off too’. Yet, Loïck, who’s watching the situation closely, says that ‘there’s no risk of rolling over, there’s no emergency’.

“Loïck is surprisingly calm, for a skipper who has to deal with total chaos: in order to stabilise his mast, he had strapped a halyard onto the back of the starboard float, and when the spar fell, it pulled a section of float off. This portion then fell back on the dog-house, smashing it. ‘It’s a cataclysm, there’s oil everywhere in the boat, but I can use the Iridium phone without problems.’ ‘I told Loïck to leave the boat if necessary, the rescue teams are in stand-by’, adds Thierry Brault, ‘but he wishes to go on like that for the moment’.

“250 miles away is the Portuguese coast, Loïck is now trying to escape downwind in order to go easy on the the port float. The wind decreased this afternoon, but will freshen a bit tonight, coming from the north-west : the skipper is in touch with his router Pierre Lasnier, in order to determine the best way to deal with the situation. He currently thinks he will head towards Portugal. ‘But to do so, I have to fix an auto-pilot? the thing now is to endure the weather on a boat that floats more or less,’ he says. ‘It’s less shaky, less noisy, maybe I’ll finally get some sleep’. Loïck stays in close contact with his team located in Saint Philibert (Brittany, France), trying to guide him in his diverse tasks. Rescue teams also remain in alert, in case the skipper required some help.