Vendée Globe: 29 hours in engine hold for Alan Roura

The approach to Christmas has not been easy for Alan Roura, 20th in the Vendée Globe as of December 25 at 7 a.m. The Genevan spent 29 hours working in his engine hold, he confided in a newsletter sent on Tuesday. Justine Mettraux was sailing in 11th position, 2000 miles behind leader Yoann Richomme.

Victim of generator problems which forced him to dismantle his engine, Alan Roura had not slept for 48 hours at the time of sharing his logbook. “For you, it may not be much, but for me it’s an engine that starts and above all it’s a Vendée Globe that will go to the end!”, he wrote, relieved to have was able to resolve this problem.

“Stuck for a whole night”

The Geneva skipper, who had also given up ground for not having known how to catch the right gust and having remained stuck for a whole night – “tacking 50 times, and gybing as many times” –, had however regained hope on time to confide. Having started again at more than 16 knots over the previous 24 hours, he hoped to catch up with the leader of his chasing group Jean Le Cam (17th).

Justine Mettraux, for her part, was coping with “very tough seas,” she confided in her column delivered Tuesday to Le Matin. The Genevan, closer to the top 8 than to 12th place, was already looking forward to finding “slightly more lenient conditions” after rounding Cape Horn.

“But I don’t want to make too many predictions,” underlines Justine Mettraux, who spent her first Christmas at sea. And who was clocked in on Wednesday at 7 a.m. less than 70 miles from 7th place Boris Herrmann. A real feat for a sailor who had seen her front sail tear almost a month ago.

ATS

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