Vendee Globe - Kito de Pavant believed to have been lifted off

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com NZ on 7 Dec 2016 Vendee Globe Race Control advised earlier at the Marion Dufresne, the research and supply vessel which serves the remote French islands in the South Indian Ocean, has arrived close to the stricken French skipper Kito De Pavant. The evacuation of the skipper de Pavant was expected to start around daybreak once there is sufficient light.

Sunrise in the Crozet Islands was around 5.30am, or two and a half hours ago.

The tracker for the Vendee Globe shows that his IMOCA60 Bastide Otio is listed as abandoned. Previously it was tracking at around 3kts.

'The Marion Dufresne is by my side and the crew waiting for the sunrise to put a zodiac to water and pick me up', Kito said via social media.

'I'm very sad, desperate and of not being able to bring this boat somewhere, the sands it would have been top but anyone or elsewhere, it would have done, but right now let him in the middle of nowhere, get in there and smoosh by the waves Me, this is unbearable.'

'But it has to be solved. I can't move forward, not back, so I can't go nowhere with the keel which takes on anything and the risks are much too great in this ocean if inhospitable.

'Good luck to all the other competitors of the 'Vendée Globe.

Earlier de Pavant's shore team reported via social media (translated and edited)

Rescue of Kito de Pavant is planned at daybreak tomorrow morning

After the shock with a brutal OFNI occurred this morning aboard Bastide Otio, Kito de Pavant is facing a major damaged keel and a waterway at the level of the wells of keel. Luckily the damage is contained in the engine compartment.

Kito has slumped all its sails and stay on the alert inside Bastide Otio which drifts at 3kts towards the SW but is north of the Crozet Islands.

Kito is in constant contact with the Race Director of the Vendée Globe, to whom he has made clear his abandonment, and the Marion Dufresne just arrived on area - which is a French supply ship carrying supplies to the French Southern and Antarctic lands south of the Indian Ocean.

They will have to wait for the sunrise (around 1 in the morning, Paris time) to launch the rescue operation in good conditions.

Kito de Pavant made the following points on the situation:

' - AROUND 8 pm UTC I crashed hard into a OFNI
- the boat stopped dead, then he resumed his route
- the rudders and floats have nothing touched and are intact
- I was immediately alerted by a creaking sound at the level of the keel

(The following has not translated correctly)
- the landing back of the keel suffered extensive damage
- I ride the veil of before to slow the boat
- when I go back to see the state of the keel, she does more than by his doorstep before. The landing back disappeared with a good piece of bottom of hull
- then she ends up dragging his doorstep before not to hold a few tens of centimetres lower than by the rod of cylinder
- damage so very serious, impossible to repair and potentially dangerous for my safety...
- indeed, little by little, the stem of jack rips the hull to starboard until the stem either vertically
- the well of keel itself is severely damaged causing a waterway, luckily contained in the engine compartment
- the well of Jack is also open to the abyss and water threatened to fill the other compartments in the back, including batteries
- this is the reason why I decided to change course
- the boat drift to dry canvas to the South-West at 3 knots about
- there's on zone 30 knots of wind and 5/6 m of hollow. Is the water at 5°C.
- the situation does not allow me to consider a solution other than to evacuate the boat
- the risk of capsizing is too important
- and, more importantly, I can't move the boat at the risk of worse the situation

You can imagine my dismay, my disappointment at this race, in which I seem to be decidedly cursed.

I am sincerely sorry for all the people who believed in this project; Bastide Medical, Otio-group HBF, all partners made in Noon, Elteans, Quadran and the Region Occitania / Pyrenees-Mediterranean, all the friends, the fans of more And more numerous, the family, the team

I don't explain to you how much it's hard to imagine that I'm gonna have to leave the boat, with all the energy that it has taken for 2 and a half years.

But okay, first of all life, then the rest... '

Race Control say that recovery of the Bastide Otio is the responsibility of the team. Most likely is a plan to tow the boat to the Crozet Islands and then extract her from there to France.