For six days, the solo nonstop around-the-world race - the Vendée Globe - has been underway. Forty sailors are competing for victory.
Leading the race is Jean Le Cam, sailing on the latest yacht in the fleet, TOUT COMMENCE EN FINISTÈRE - ARMOR LUX, designed by David Raison and launched in 2023.
In second place, trailing by 28.3 nautical miles, is the Italian sailor Giancarlo Pedote on PRISMIAN, who is nearly 200 miles east of Le Cam. The leader, Le Cam, has chosen the eastern route, sailing south toward the Cape Verde Islands.
On the fifth day of the race, the first competitor to drop out was Maxime Sorel, an excellent sailor and civil engineer. The 38-year-old skipper suffered an ankle injury and encountered two serious technical problems. Early Friday afternoon, he announced from the area around Madeira that he was withdrawing from the competition.
Source: Vendée Globe