Vendée Globe, one headsail fewer for Richomme

Yoann Richomme, skipper of the IMOCA PAPREC ARKÉA, contacted the Vendée Globe race management and his shore team at 0629UTC on January 10, 2025 to inform them the halyard lock of his J0 headsail had broken, causing the sail to fall into the water. After 40 minutes of effort, Yoann confirmed that he had brought the torn sail back on board, which is unusable.

Yoann continues his race determined, and the IMOCA Paprec Arkéa is still expected on Tuesday in Les Sables d'Olonne.

This Friday morning, Boris Herrmann, currently in 6th place, reported a broken J2 headsail hook (halyard lock) on Malizia Seaexplorer. The boat and mast are safe, and the sail lashed on deck, but Boris’s ability to use his most crucial headsail is limited. This will significantly impact performance unless a repair is possible.