Route du Rhum misfortune strikes again for Armel Le Cleac'h / Photo: LOIC VENANCE - AFP
-
RBI Data Reveals Divergence in Credit Card Spending and Debit Card Cash Withdrawals
-
First-time boat buyers advised to assess full ownership costs
-
Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium
-
Planning and preparation can reduce stress of interstate relocation
-
Sweet As app launches restaurant discovery platform
-
Two more arrested in Carrie Mullane suspected murder investigation
-
Phoenix Restaurants Offer Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for Pickup
-
MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road
-
Mayo school appeals for information after convent and chapel vandalism
-
Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks
-
Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring
-
Canadian soldier Aidan Goulding remembered at Vancouver funeral
-
Second major storm brings destructive winds and outages to British Columbia
-
Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka
-
Godzilla Minus Zero leads North American box office with $31.6m
-
Robert Trujillo discusses literacy and social justice children’s books
-
Advocate calls for coordinated support for children facing trafficking
-
Civil rights advocate William Bill Tucker dies aged 98
-
Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7: Review Your Coverage Options
-
Pennsylvania Democrats secure state trifecta in midterm elections
-
US Treasury order targets bank transfers linked to crypto exchange MEXC
-
Godzilla Minus Zero sets foreign-language box-office opening record
-
Nvidia CEO Controversy Sparks Fears of Tighter U.S. AI Chip Curbs for Samsung and SK hynix
-
Eagles record six sacks as rushing attack struggles against Giants
-
Villeneuve teases James Bond casting at Los Angeles museum gala
-
Thames Water seeks to delay £12bn in debt repayments
-
Nottinghamshire launches specialist rural crime policing team
-
Newark boxing gym expands alternative education programme
-
China confirms talks over possible Xi-Putin-Trump summit
-
Democrats consider impeachment drive against Defence Secretary Hegseth
-
Rail journey offers a slower route to a Berlin city break
-
Energy bill plan could use HMRC income data to target support
-
Arsenal control title race as Manchester United fall into bottom three
-
Business owner earning £6,000 a month tackles £70,000 debt
-
Suspected Krakow gunman dies after attack that killed six
-
Nvidia chief faces inquiry after disclosing affair with suspected Chinese agent
-
Carrick backs Dalot after hostile reception from Manchester United fans
-
Comet returns as online electrical marketplace 14 years after collapse
-
Aston Villa Defy History With Rare Victory at Old Trafford
-
Brussels Education Unions Schedule Major November Protest Over Funding and Reforms
-
Crowds Gather at San Francisco Park for Elizabeth Holmes Lookalike Tournament
Route du Rhum misfortune strikes again for Armel Le Cleac'h
French record-breaking skipper Armel Le Cleac'h's hopes of adding the Route du Rhum to his Vendee Globe triumph appeared sunk on Thursday barely a day into the celebrated solo transatlantic race.
Le Cleac'h, 45, was forced to head back to shore after the daggerboard (a retractable keel) snapped on his boat less than 24 hours after setting off from the Brittany port of Saint Malo.
One of the favourites among the 138-strong flotilla to cross the finish line in Guadeloupe first, he earned his place in sailing's history books when winning the solo round-the-world Vendee Globe in a fastest ever time of 74 days and three hours in 2017.
His last attempt at the Route du Rhum in 2018 ended with a near-death experience.
His boat capsized after a violent collision with an unidentified object off the Azores, the Portuguese archipelago in mid-Atlantic. He was in the cockpit at the time, and after triggering his rescue flare was eventually picked up by a fishing trawler 12 hours later.
Four years on from that calamity he was in the leading trio of boats when he heard "a crack".
"He found the centerboard under the bottom of the hull broken," his Banque Populaire team reported.
"Armel informed us of the problem which requires him to return to Lorient so that we can analyse the situation," said his team's race director Ronan Lucas.
F.Dubois--AMWN