On Saturday, Thomas Coville was still battling in the Pacific Ocean to try to catch up with Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire), second in the Arkéa Ultim Challenge.
But the sailor's world tour at the helm of the giant trimaran Sodebo could have taken a dramatic turn on Friday.
The oldest participant (55 years old) got a huge scare recounted in an audio message.
“Something happened to me that I feared and which ultimately did not turn out to be serious but I came close to damage, or an accident in a sinking
,” explained the sailor who realized that his 32 meter boat, pushed by a very powerful swell, stopped at the bottom of a wave.
“I was at the chart table which swiveled in the movement. She let me go straight away and I didn't know how to hold on
,” added the skipper who fell 2.5 meters before crashing into a piece of furniture at right shoulder level.
“It was extremely violent but I don't think I lost consciousness,”
describes the Breton who admits to having been very afraid that this incident would make him disabled because he did not
“know how to have the right position during a movement of the boat with whom you have to be attentive all the time.”
Thomas Coville reassured about his state of health after seeking medical assistance.
Hard blow for Anthony Marchand
More fear than harm for Thomas Coville who clocked in on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. 2420 miles from Charles Caudrelier (Edmond de Rothschild) in the middle of the Atlantic along the Argentinian coast.
The bad news in recent hours concerns Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim, 4th at 5948.7 miles) forced to make a new technical stopover, the second of his world tour.
He stopped in Dunedin (New Zealand) during the night from Friday to Saturday after his boat broke down.