Sam Goodchild out of hospital

Sam Goodchild during the 12th Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe start © Marin Le Roux - polaRYSE / Leyton

Following yesterday's incident at the start of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, Sam Goodchild, skipper of the Ocean Fifty Leyton left hospital this afternoon.

The whole of Sam's entourage, his family, his shore team and of course Leyton's teams and partners are extremely relieved. Furthermore, they'd like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all those involved in dealing with the incident, the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe organisation team, the MRCC, the SNSM rescue team, the emergency services and also the team at the Saint Malo hospital in particular.

Together with all of the Leyton team, Sam had been preparing for this major event in the racing calendar for more than two years. Winner of the Pro Sailing Tour in crewed format in 2021 and 2nd in 2022, and winner of the 1000 Milles des Sables and the Drheam Cup in solo format this year, Sam was a firm favourite to take victory in this legendary transatlantic race. The shore team has put in a huge amount of effort to ensure that, going forward, he can set sail again in the best possible conditions aboard the Ocean Fifty Leyton.

His retirement from this Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe comes as a massive disappointment for him, but he has shown an extraordinary amount of strength. Indeed, he is the one who has been helping all his team to hold their heads up high despite the frustration at not being able to participate in the event. He has received a huge amount of support over the past 24 hours, especially from the sailors competing in this edition of the Route du Rhum. Messages have also been pouring in from Leyton group because, during the past two years that he has headed the sailing project, Sam has managed to unite all the teams around him. He will have a few days respite now before he devotes himself to his ongoing projects.

Sam and the whole of Leyton group wish the sailors bound for Guadeloupe a truly wonderful race.

Caroline Villecroze, head of marketing and communication for Leyton group:

"We were all extremely worried yesterday. Obviously, it was upsetting. The most important thing for us was that we could be reassured as quickly as possible about Sam's state of health. He's doing okay and that's what matters most.

Like him, we're all disappointed not to see him doing battle in this Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, which he was really looking forward to. He was ready, we were ready. Now, it will be for another time.

Sam is a fabulous sailor. He has a great team around him with a remarkable mindset. In this difficult situation, he has demonstrated that he's also a fantastic leader, who has shown incredible resilience.

All of our colleagues have reacted to the accident, which just goes to prove that the sailing project is supported by everyone within the Leyton group. We will treasure the amazing festive ambiance of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe village. It was a great moment of sharing, during which we were able to further expand our Sustainable Organisations Summit. On a daily basis, Sam has invested his time and energy to ensure that this moment was a genuine highlight of this Route du Rhum and it has truly been a great success. We sincerely thank him for all these various collaborations."