Former Vendee Globe frontrunner Jean-Pierre Dick has retired from the Vendee Globe after his yacht, Paprec-Virbac 2, struck a submerged object and damaged her port rudder assembly.
From vendeeglobe.org:
“I was sleeping and heard a big bang, a loud noise. I rushed outside and saw the port rudder was out of the water and was wobbling around. The whole structure has been damaged. I was just about to put on my foulies, when the whole thing broke off and fell in the water. It all happened in less than a minute. It had to be the port rudder when the starboard one was already damaged. I hit a UFO, probably a growler. …”
