Thomas Coville, the solo skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3 admitted to having suffered some technical damage last Wednesday in his Ultim Challenge Race bid. Although it is not a structural failure, Coville reports, "I am handicapped on one side, but I have a solution to regain the functions of the foil. I am confident for the future."
In a press release issued on the subject of his breaking into the Indian Ocean, Coville revealed that his starboard foil lowering system had broken. "The damage has not caused any damage to the structure of the trimaran but prevented the foil from being lowered ," the press release said. "I am compromised on port tack".
Thomas Coville reported, "I had come back on the first two to catch the same front, I was happy with the boat's speeds, but it turned out to be more difficult following damage to the mechanical lowering system of the starboard foil. Together with the team, we managed to stabilize it. There is no structural damage or major problems on the boat, but at the moment I am handicapped on one side. With my technical team, we have a solution to regain its functionality. I have a little work to do, but I am confident. I wasn't able to keep up with the pace of the leaders because I found myself at the back of the front when I wasn't far behind, but I'm happy to be where I am. Venturing here with a flying boat like Sodebo Ultim 3 was a dream and here we are - with the other sailors - doing something unique, it's the first time. Doing it today with my team is also a collective adventure. It's a motorsport, it's a commitment sport and it's a group sport and they're all behind me."
