At 0143hrs UTC Anthony Marchand notified the Ultim Challenge race direction that he had started a technical stopover. Now at anchor in Dunedin, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, his repairs have begun. Meanwhile, Cape Horn is coming up for Armel Le Cléac’h and Thomas Coville.
"the mechanism which holds his starboard side foil was broken"
It was during Tuesday night, as he checked over his boat whilst sailing ahead of a strong depression in decent seas, that Marchand noticed the mechanism which holds his starboard side foil in the low position was broken. Despite repairs carried out remotely with the support of Team Actual, the situation was quite precarious as he was about to cross the Pacific Ocean.
He adjusted his course to the north and met two team members on his arrival in Dunedin. Now, they are hard at work in Dunedin to ensure everything is repaired within 24 hours, the minimum duration of a technical stopover according to the race rules. It is a difficult time for Marchand who is now making his second technical stopover after one in Cape Town in South Africa on January 26 and 27. The skipper of Actual Ultim 3 remains upbeat and keen to get going again to resume his first solo round-the-world race.
