Sea Wolves - Vendee Globe 2020 report - Catastrophe at sea! The rescue of PRB's Kevin Escoffier!

Disaster strikes at the head of the fleet, as Apivia, Linked-out, PRB an Jean le Cam, make their entrance into the Cape's legendary passage, a sudden activation of the emergency system on PRB sends shockwaves through the fleet and Jean le Cam, who is the close behind prb is first to adjust his course, in order to assist the troubled sailor, but to no avail, A night of frantic searching follows, with soon the extra help of Yannick Besthaven, Boris Hermann and Sebastion Simon at the scene, looking in the dead of night and in 35 knots of wind, for the life raft which holds Kevin Escoffier. We have the latest details on the story. In the show today.
But is it over, or has the storm of destruction only just begone? With a new Antarctic low fast approaching, the rest of the boats, now resuming racing our about to sail an area of the planet with the highest concentration of potential ufo and garbage in the water, right in the confluence of major weather and temperature clashes. Will the fleet get through this great challenge of Cape of good hope in one piece?
We will talk about all of it, with coffee!
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You will also find our brand new Sea Wolves official gear shop on the website now. #seawolves #vendeeglobe2020 #Jeanlecam #Kevinesoffier @rescue

[@canadians1982]

He actually didn't jump overboard. He got washed away by a "deferlante" (breaking wave) with his life raft. He wanted to stay on the boat as long as possible even though the boat part he was on was the one with the keel. The boat broke in half at the mast while surfing down a huge wave with big winds. He said that that happen often, the boat crashes at the bottom of the wave but this time it didn't go back up. It took only 2 minutes. That's terrifying. I just watched the interview of Escoffier on board with Le Cam, let me know if you want a traduction. Edit: other scary fact: the Ais signal was lost due the the size of the waves. He did carry a radio with him in his grab bag.

[@Confucius_Says...]

He also had a personal location beacon on his person, wearing one became a habit from his crewed ocean racing days. Probably saved his life.

[@markcounseling]

Olivier Rossignol As I understand it, as he showed using his arm, the front of the boat actually folded up vertically, as if it were to fall back on him. Unthinkable. Is that what you understand?

[@jonshaw4344]

thanks olivier great info

[@G11713]

Alex also discovered structural failures in his hull. I wonder if regular inspection should now be immediately required for these new foiling boats. Their speed and elevation out of the water prior hitting a wave front may not have been fully compensated for.

[@deepeddysf]

@@Confucius_Says... did he have a PLB? It sounded like he may have only had an AIS MOB, which as I understand only transmits location locally, whereas the PLB works like an EPIRB transmitting location to SAR via satellite. Presumably the EPIRB was with the boat.

[@bosoerjadi2838]

I stayed awake until Jean casually reported he got Kevin safely on board, heading for Cape Town. It was a true miracle of a rescue, instantly legendary. Jean and Kevin showed to have nerves of steel and ice running though their veins.

[@paulguile2199]

Fantastic seamanship by Le Cam! So glad the rescue was successful.

[@FoilingFrenzy]

Hey, I am guessing you know french??? Making it easy for you to make sense of the official media?

[@mhensen1]

Wonder if he’ll get a citizenship medal from France, wouldn’t surprise me

[@paulguile2199]

eCentral Marketing Managers My French is a bit rusty and they speak very fast with lots of slang, but I can mostly make sense of it.

[@simonladd4262]

It must be terrifying to find someone - and then lose them again.

[@johnswimcat]

Just what I was thinking

[@CaptainBuzzBee]

If you watch Jean Le Cam describe it, he was in despair. When he found Kevin again, Kevin asked if he was coming back, and Jean said no. He did not want to lose Kevin again.

[@christianjambou8208]

Jean Le Cam got save by Riou on PRB in 2008 VG at Cape Horn. What comes around goes around the planet too.

[@colaoliver1587]

Wonder if PRB's hull failure was a more extreme version of the structural failures on Hugo Boss? I think all the teams need to review their load calculations.

[@SeawolvesTV]

Very much so yes

[@AnttiBrax]

Alex's damage was at the bow, this was further aft, at the mast bulkhead. The obvious guess involves the addition of foils to a non-foiling design. I think Kevin guessed this too as he mentioned several times after the rescue how they reinforced the boat.

[@monhmonhmonhmonh]

Hugo Boss bow problems seem to come from torsional weakness with a central beam that wasn't up to the task. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnynp2qsiMqgqKs PRB breaking in half at mast level is just really hard to comprehend. Usually adding foils means adding 2 foil wells and subsequent reinforcement mean it's one of the toughest part of the boat. I can only think of really quick and catastrophic delamination.

[@PatrioticTroll]

I believe he mentioned it happened as the bow dove into a wave. I wonder if it was a combination of a huge wave crashing down on the top and front half of the boat, the speed creating so much inertia in the mast and sail along with the weight of the back half of the boat making it just snap right in front of the mast. I wish we could see the wreckage. So many questions!

[@pietercronje5888]

Good summary! If I may add. Le Cam then tacked into the wind with main (3reefs) this slowed him to 1,5 kts INTO the wind. This allowed him to search thoroughly! And the boat was controlable! Even bare pole, with the wind from the rear boat speed is more than 12 kts! To fast to do a rescue!! Good technique to follow! Hats off to Le Cam! His anxiety must have been high!! So by slow controlable boat he knew the search was thorough! Thnks for your work!!

[@aleksandarg8642]

Yes We Cam!!! What a sailor this man is 💪🏻

[@eddiedoherty2349]

For me watching Cam sail this race was amazing. He continuously put his boat in the best strategic position and kept up with faster boats. This is great sailing and tactics. The rescue demonstrated great seamanship, there are few in his class....

[@Демократът]

Kevin resque by J.LCam is my best news in 2020 period!

[@gregvanderboom5011]

Jean himself was rescued in the 2009 Vendee Globe... I'm sure he is feeling great about the rescue

[@vendeeglobe8470]

By (previous) PRB btw

[@davidsheehan9887]

Brilliant that Kevin is safe.It just shows how brutal this race is on man woman and machine. Huge credit to the skippers involved in the rescue to achieve a good outcome. RESPECT to Jean le Cam LEGEND👍

[@schuttrostig5729]

Good job by the 3 rescuers and glad Le Cam got him on board.

[@rainerw.aquamarinii3455]

As usual a comprehensive overview of what has happened last night, thanks and looking forward to watching Sea Wolves by tomorrow...

[@nicorodo7161]

Jean Le Cam is a legend!! find a small rescue canot in five meters waves by night! and with a ship built to run 15 to 20knt!! what a sailor :)

[@MaistoHelix]

Chuck Norris got outclassed By King Jean last Night..

[@angelikalanger699]

Dramatically ....thanks God, that he got rescued...

[@petereagar4056]

Wow Kevin was so fortunate to successfully escape his sinking boat, broken in half? Jean comes through with an incredible rescue! I’m so very happy to hear they are well! A horrible night that many will never forget. Thanks for your report.

[@nitomutan4593]

Wesh le pousse-café ;-) PRB engulfed after surfing on a wave, and the shock was so hard that the first half of the boat went upwards as you said… After he sent the message, a first wave shut off everything, but he managed to wear his rescue suit, get the raft from out the cockpit under water, his rescue bag and the boat’s beacon before being washed away by another wave, as the stern was sinking quicker than the bow due to the weight of the keel. The raft didn’t capsize, though, but Jean Le Cam drifted like 5 meters too far from the raft, so Kevin had to jump and swim the remaining distance as the motor, even in full reverse, couldn’t stop the boat’s course…

[@maartenhuybrecht]

I hate to be nitpicking, but a survival suit is actually a type of dry-suit, with enclosed hands and feet, so not really made of neoprene: I believe K.E. said he didn't have time and had to put it on over his foul weather gear: he must have looked like a Michelin man :)

[@FrankNolf]

I have a dry suit, its made of neopreen. Dry suits are made of different materials, Kevins was neoprene because it also offer thermal protection

[@maartenhuybrecht]

@@FrankNolf With all due respect, but a dry suit can per definition not be made out of neoprene: neoprene (like a wetsuit surfers wear) is warmer when it's wet, because the fabric sucks up the water, and your body temperature heats the little bubbles up, so it becomes like a second skin. A drysuit is meant to keep the person completely dry, so you can litterally wear a tuxedo under it, take off the drysuit and come out completely dry (like James Bond in Goldfinger). But now that I read it again, you probably meant you have a survival suit made out of neoprene. I've never ever seen that, but fair enough. I learn something new about this sport every day.

[@FrankNolf]

@@maartenhuybrecht with all due respect, you don't know what you are talking about. I have myself a 2,5mm neoprene Northern Diver drysuit for diving. Kevin was wearing a TPS survival suit made from 3mm neoprene. You explanation about how a wetsuit works is laughable. Absorbing? Bubbles? Water enters between the wetsuit through the cuffs and your neck because they are not sealed like a neoprene dry suit. This forms a thin layer of water between you and the neoprene suit that your body heats. Please stop posting and learn to google, pro tip for search on google "tps survival suit neoprene"

[@maartenhuybrecht]

@@FrankNolf Wetsuit. Drysuit. Survival suit, are 3 different things. Have a good day Sir.

[@wasabiginger6993]

Excellent report, thanks! ... love how Boris essentially stated that the sailors more important than the race ... and that the rules compensate time lost ... but clearly, one can see how easy it is to have a loss of life!

[@johnswimcat]

Great video. It's superb how the skippers look after each other. If Kevin's hull broke in two the structural design of these boats needs looking at. He could easily have been lost

[@rachelleinweber4592]

What incredible event and story ! Bravo to the heroes Jean, and amongst the other sailors who did everything they could . And to Kevin E for his own ability to keep his head while the boat PRB came apart before his eyes and in matter of seconds ! And to you #SeaWolves for your daily updates and discussions ! As soon as I could this am in NYC , I began checking for your daily contribution so I could see what you make of this absolutely dramatic and scary event. #VendeeGlobe2020 #ClackClackClack

[@joem3556]

Boris is one cool cat he moved in to help too

[@helmutbuchbauer7423]

ICE men

[@brandonhall5615]

This race is going to make a dope movie in the near future.

[@monhmonhmonhmonh]

​Haven't heard of KE being chartered to Cape Town tbh. The race director Jacques Caraës mentioned offloading him at the Kergelen islands which has a french navy base but that's at least a week away.

[@grantehrlich339]

So PRB “hit something”. . . . like the wave in front. Seems le Cam knows something beyond the need to finish.

[@renaudsechet69]

PRB just hit the next wave after a 27kts surf as happens often on these boats except that this time it broke the boat

[@PatrioticTroll]

"sugar in the coffee and salt in my hair, I pray today the seas will be fair"

[@marcttm]

Thank you for all this info and beautiful images. Kevin, Jean and their respective teams are just heroes. All participants to this race are heroes in fact ...

[@mikedevlin2048]

This year's race has seen 1 boat return to harbour to make repairs, another suffer major structural damage and later damage to a rudder and now catastrophic damage leading to a boat sinking... The feat of rescue was amazing and very lucky to succeed... Have we reached the point were teams are making poor decisions at the build/refit stage at the expense of safety ? Ocean racing has, and always will be fraught with danger but it seems to be getting worse not better...

[@andredreyer7182]

momentum = mass 10 tons x velocity 20 knots= 10m/s =100 000kg x m/s so no wonder these boats are breaking

[@Confucius_Says...]

@@andredreyer7182 so in essence, the fast foilers are fast foiling their way into oblivion.

[@ENCPBbis]

Not worse. Check Vendée Globe 1992/93 : www.vendeeglobe.org/en/the-legend/2/1992-1993 and 1996/97 : www.vendeeglobe.org/en/the-legend/3/1996-1997 . Boats are much safer now.

[@andrewconrad1277]

Ran across this video a couple of days ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnynp2qsiMqgqKs Watching a few of his other posts, the host is not a big fan of carbon fiber. To summarize his points as I understand them: 1. There has been a technological leap in the design of the newest generation of solo-racing boats. 2. Due to unpredictable conditions that a boat undergoes at sea, not all conditions can be accounted for in the speed vs safety conundrum. 3. Usually a boat/team is able to spend time in practical testing at sea to help uncover design flaws and rectify same. 4. COVID-19 really screwed with time schedule for point 3. I share your skepticism regarding the latest edition of boats and the southern seas seem to be proving these doubts correct. It will be interesting to see the design adjustments that will be made. Cheers!

[@markcounseling]

andre Dreyer Exactly. At some point the carbon fibers must turn to dust.

[@sailjazzdew]

Thank you for such an excellent summary of Kevin's misfortune and explaining how rescuers are compensated for their time away from the race. Not a word from Andy of Vendee Globe on race rules.

[@kuriabraham]

The offshore sailing world has to make a call at some point, between speed and the safety of life at sea.

[@drewthompson7457]

I would think everybody involved in the the race knows that something bad can happen. And it is racing, pushing limits, not a pleasure cruise. No-one forced them into this race, and precautions are taken. A racing car designer said that if a car finishes the race, it was built too heavy.

[@rbcoast2936]

I absolutely love how you added a little "kicker" to your coffee! Well done empathizing with the entire audience.

[@69dildozer]

Starting to see if these new designs can handle open water. Glad he's safe.

[@johnswimcat]

Quite right. Do the designs go on pushing the limits until several skippers have been lost? You can't stop someone setting off to sail around the world in a bathtub with a broom handle for a mast and a sheet for a sail, and I wouldn't stop them. But when it's a race with rules it's a different matter altogether. I don't care how fast the boats go, what I'd like to see is who is the best seaman or woman. Let's have a proper one design strong boat capable of dealing with all the conditions this voyage throws up. For me Jean le Cam has already won this time

[@MnemeM]

Well, PRB wasn't really a new design?

[@chrissyboi88b]

To hear that the bow folded when he took a nose dive is scary stuff, it's either a really poor and weak design that the other boats have to be aware of or it was just a one off, but I'm sure it wasn't a problem with the build because im confident that they have run scanners all over looking for any delaminated or weak spots. Either way it shouldn't have happened. It makes me think that the structural damage on Hugo boss could have been caused in a similar way.

[@braydeny]

I cant help but feel the forces have been under estimated. Is the structure in the bow a one design?

[@MnemeM]

@@braydeny Nope, it's not.

[@ReneLutz]

Jean le Cam is a Sea Wolve!!!

[@OldBoldGuy]

Makes Alex and the Hugo Boss's Team look like they made the right decision in pulling out of the race before their patched together bow came off!!! Might be time to consider some new rules aimed at more safely constructed boats!!!

[@gregknipe8772]

another great production. natural story teller here. thank you.

[@johnhart29]

Very good live interview in English with Kevin on Vendee Globe main site.

[@jeffcondell]

The boat buried into a wave and the boat broken in 2 with the bow section going up into the air allowing the flood of water to wash back through the boat and killing the engine and electronics within 4 seconds!

[@firstlast7719]

So happy a safe rescue occurred. Kudos to everyone. I would be very nervous about stress fractures at this point. Hoping Jean gets a fair correction to his time as well as the other three boats that participated in the search and rescue. Go Jean, go Boris!

[@nathaliedufour3891]

Scary . What a race, I wish them best of luck and safety

[@iandhill1539]

New foils and an old boat... is that not like turbo charging an old engine. Go up hill , oil leaks and blows the head off?

[@alexnakos5825]

Vendee Globe, after 11 months of 2020...... cant say i m surprised........

[@drewthompson7457]

at least they're social distancing, for the most part.

[@Eddie.Mootsen]

Speaking this morning after being rescued Kevin Escoffier said: “It’s unbelievable what happened. The boat folded up on a wave at 27 knots. I heard a bang, but to be honest, I didn’t need to hear that to know what had happened. I looked at the bow. It was at 90°. In a few seconds, there was water everywhere. The stern was under water and the bow was pointing up to the sky. The boat split in half in front of the mast bulkhead. It was as if she folded up. I promise. I’m not exaggerating. There was an angle of 90° between the stern and the bow. " that might dent yer confidence in clever composites !

[@colmf1665]

The composities are ok, as long as you use enough of them !! Thin fast, sink fast !!

[@brentbailey6578]

Composites are great but have many more failure modes than metals. Though you try to design them so that the matrix fails before the fibres, this might have happened and was the result of the initial ingress of water. The bang would have been the fibres failing, which is catastrophic. As this happened near the mast, it would also be near where the foils were added. Not saying that this had anything to do with the accident, but the boat was retrofitted for completely different forces and load paths than the original design. Too bad we will probably never know the root cause. Thankful that everyone is alright.

[@Eddie.Mootsen]

yup. pure speculation from me but sounds like a catastrophic CF snap fail. More on the whole story here kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXeQoYqvqJiIm9k . These guys and gals are complete heroes.

[@michalisdalacouras8604]

Jean is a hero, but I must say, it looked like Kevin rescued Jean by the looks of their faces!!

[@tiagoferreira2073]

wow! Those last images were really scary!!

[@MachTuck]

Great updates by Sea Wolves!! Thank you!

[@MnemeM]

Yes, he sure as hell Cam!

[@fepatton]

Excellent recap of the rescue. It was an exciting/nerve-wracking racing day yesterday, with carbon fiber playing opposing roles - Roman Grosjean was saved by the carbon fiber safety cell in the Bahrain F1 race, while here CF shows its limits!

[@neophobiagarage1845]

what a story.......................with happy ending

[@cliffstevenson5773]

Looks at 11:30 utc 12/1, that le Cam is still racing, perhaps waiting for an unlikely rendezvous with a ship, or whatever the authorities decide about dropping Escoffier off. My question to wolves: can Escoffier help in any way while he is sailing on Yes I Cam?. Handle a line? Stand a watch? Give advice?

[@lovefamilies9521]

Excellent report

[@waynefederico9396]

Thank you for all the information, also the rules of helping out a sailor while racing.. Never knew they got to a-lot for time..

[@seashepherds4959]

Jean Le Cam- Father Neptune has a Son-Of-The-Sea!

[@robinmalina2645]

Thank you for so interesting broadcast - I am watching it everyday !!!!!!!!!!!

[@patrickcolclough2423]

There's just too much crap in the sea now, all these boats in collision with things. :O Well done Jean, what a hero.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

It was a catastrophic structural failure when the boat came off a 5 meter wave, buried the bow in the trough and folded up just in front of the mast. KE said he looked out to see the bow at 90° pointing up into the air. It snapped like so much uncooked spaghetti

[@vendeeglobe8470]

there's no collision involved

[@patrickcolclough2423]

@@vendeeglobe8470 So are we saying the boat hull was simply not strong enough to take these forces? There was nothing unexpected about the conditions.

[@vendeeglobe8470]

@@patrickcolclough2423 it seems like it

[@tommypetraglia4688]

@@patrickcolclough2423 They can model the loads and the stresses, and even test to an extent but they'll never be able to be exact with the forces from pounding thru the waves. If they were not trying to reduce weight to the extreme, just build it thick and strong and out of something not as brittle as carbon fiber. They pushed the envelope past the limit. And now it's back to the drawing board. Thank god nobody got killed and pray nobody does

[@AlbertoRodriguez-gs4cy]

Thanks for the summary, but they are not going to Cape Town. Most likely Kevin will be transferred to a Marine Nationale ship (Nivôse) that is in Kerguelen islands, the same one that recorded in the latest edition to Armel Le Cleach and Alex Thomson passing by.

[@nunoalves3509]

That is really sea brothers. Great men

[@thescottishviking2778]

The only consolation the 3 skippers that have exited the Vendee Globe have is that they can spend Xmas and New Year with their loved ones including their small children. That is if they don't go out sailing somewhere else. :-)

[@strelnikoff7]

One would think so... perhaps they will relax, but then again, we're talking about sailors who willingly went out to the worst of the seas alone - after working for years to do so. I bet there will be liters and liters of whiskey used to help with Christmas spirit :))

[@tobiasschaugg4222]

Hi Florian, I am following you closely for the race updates and also recommended your channel to my team. I am more than thrilled seeing you using our new youtube merchshelf integration. Success! Best Regards to Amsterdam. I still have fond memories from my time there.

[@rolfschiller7848]

Hi Tobi, was für ein Zufall deine Zeilen hier zu lesen. Wow. Mit lieben Grüßen vom Ammersee

[@patrickdewilde940]

Excellent detailed translation and report! Merci!

[@Привид_Бандери]

"Ça me fait un peu peur" You're not human if it doesn't homie. 🤣

[@mis100tubos]

These carbon fiber boats are as light as they are brittle like glass!?!!! Foiling it means no rest for the hull and the 40s it just begun; Anyway, Le Cam...he is the greatest SEAWOLF !!! Clac,clac,clack!!!👍😜💪💪💪

[@vendeeglobe8470]

Well, certainly not brittle at all, but indeed Foiling means no rest for the hull. Carbon has simply not ever been exposed to the incalculable forces of foiling in the 40s

[@AnttiBrax]

I don't think a glass boat could mange foiling at 30kn speeds in 6m waves. They're tough as nails but the sea just is tougher.

[@tookalook1777]

Just amazing. Thank you Cam and very best wishes Kevin you sailed a great race! Just a Question where did Gerry Roufs Boat have its incident in 1997?. The book "God forsaken seas " was amazing. Sea Wolves has been fantastic! Thank You

[@jeffcondell]

They suggested that Kevin will be picked up around the 7th by a Ship.

[@brunoliard8105]

I have a question for you ! Is Kevin allows to help Jean on the boat ? For navigation, routage, change of sails ...

[@MrCineris]

Maybe PRB had similar structural damage that Alex found, just a tad more well hidden

[@Confucius_Says...]

Alex's boat had stress fractures, this one straight up broke into two halves.

[@vendeeglobe8470]

Indeed, it is probably the same forces (slamming waves) that causes this damage

[@MrCineris]

@@Confucius_Says... We don’t know if that’s the result of undetected stress fractures that just grew. The boat wouldn’t brake in half out of nowhere

[@philhuddleston3112]

Please be sure to talk about how they will get Kevin off the boat now

[@patrickcolclough2423]

He has Phil. Jean will take him to Cape Town.

[@alfshepherd3468]

Cannot Alex Thomson take him to Cape Town?

[@Confucius_Says...]

Alex is 400 miles behind.

[@FrankNolf]

@@patrickcolclough2423 a French naval frigate will pick him up 7th December

[@AnttiBrax]

Jean definitely isn't going towards Cape Town on the tracker. Latest rumors have been that Kevin will be dropped off at Kerguelen islands to a French navy ship.

[@erichaskell]

I hope these and future breakings does not cause the governing bodies to enforce a set of rules which could dampen experimentations with boat designs. That a boat or boats break causing failures to complete the race will enforce engineering changes on its own.

[@vendeeglobe8470]

On that note, did you know the enforced one design mast is now vary dangerous? Its specifications are based on the pre foiling era. The foils add a lot of righting moment, the mast cant handle that extra force. On other words; these boats will lose their mast before capsizing.

[@jaypek43-Phil]

BTW...thx for showing us what one of these liferafts looks like! Impressive!

[@dougmarder]

@Florian Rooz, I came across your YT channel while searching for info on the Vendee Globe on Day 1 and I have been hooked from the first minute. Your name rang a bell somewhere in the depths of my empty head, and when you hawked your book on a recent episode, it came back to me. In addition to added coverage of the Jules Verne, I hope you will take some time to talk about yourself, your diverse entrepreneurial past, present and future, and what attracted you to ocean racing. You may be an up and coming amateur at this kind of talk show, but your coverage is almost as good as how Niall Myant-Best covers the Ocean Race! Great work!

[@ThePluzzberg]

Can anyone tell me how to get the fleet in to Windy? Great Video once again!

[@normanboyes4983]

Believe Jean Le Cam will rendezvous with French Frigate at sea and hand over his passenger.

[@wimbiesemans892]

I understood that as well - is the Frigate stationef around the Kerguelen - remember the epic footage of last VG

[@normanboyes4983]

@@wimbiesemans892 It is indeed.👍⛵️

[@2011mendo]

Not sure that's real smart unless in very calm waters. Boat made it so far, not sure being smashed by a frickin SHIP Is something I do.. Course the ships probably got better food to trade out!!!! Most those Capt. hire great chefs for the crew.

[@razzg]

@@2011mendo The frigate will probably launch it's dinghy or helicopter. Its not like the IMOCA has to lie belly-to-belly to the frigate.

[@wirksam6754]

Thank you for your very interesting Information.

[@31keyser43]

Thank you, your english is very understandable for a frenchman like me. I subscribed. 👍

[@SeawolvesTV]

Thank you

[@helmutbuchbauer7423]

Best Coment For this Situation

[@ssr09727]

Really enjoy your reports, informative and fun. Keep up the good work.

[@martmexpue]

As always... thank you very much 👍🙏

[@SeawolvesTV]

Thank you

[@mikewaters100]

Thanks for the fine report. But a question. You seemed to indicate that the bow went DOWN 90 deg. I thought I read somewhere that the boat nose-dived into a wave and that the bow then came UP 90 deg. If the forestay was still attached, that seems much more likely, no ? Also hope to hear how the fleet now looks and where is the next British hopeful (Samantha?) with all this going on ? Tks!

[@martinohnenamen6147]

bow 90° into the air, not into the water, after breaking after a wave dive. Also no radio call to surrounding ships but whatsapp message to team with "i'm sinking. This is no joke. Mayday"

[@davidbrinkman2768]

Keep your eyes on Bureau Valee 2 and Louis Burton. He is beautifully placed to the south at the leading edge of the front. If he can hold onto that system he will be on his way east at high speed.

[@Confucius_Says...]

LeCam, LeGend.

[@oliversachs5094]

again an exciting story brought by you. Cheers!

[@Демократът]

This is moovie scenery right here.

[@Lorenzosheels67]

Well explained, thanks a lot

[@SeawolvesTV]

Thank you

[@davnurnbergskitourengruppe8042]

I wonder whether race organizers will not only give a time credit for the time spent searching for Kevin but also for the course deviation the 4 participating boats took. They didn't re-start at the same place the paused racing, right?! Different wheather conditions after the rescue can not be considered either, I guess?!

[@patrickcolclough2423]

WATCH THE VIDEO.

[@robin_de_jong]

I watched the video and I am wondering this too. Cause if you take the time from the moment the race control asked him to divert until he leaves at cape town, that 's obviously too much. If you only take the time spent searching, that's not enough. Do they calculate how long it would take "normally" and take the time difference?

[@firstlast7719]

@@robin_de_jong I would agree - the race time should be adjusted to the point from when he was asked to search until he was fully foiling and up to speed again with unreefed sails. The adjustment should also consider any latitude distance lost since he had to deviate north, and the time that would take to get back in the race track be fair to both Jean and the rest of the VG fleet. No doubt they will have 6 days to think it over until Kevin is dropped off.

[@davnurnbergskitourengruppe8042]

@@firstlast7719 We've got part of the answers (@Patrick Colclough: which Florian did not mention in the otherwise as always excellent and very entertaining video!) in the official race communication yesterday: "This process takes into account not only the actual time lost when the sailors were away from their race route, but also any significant changes in their racing conditions - wind and routing- caused by the delay". So let's wait and see, but I guess we'll never get to see the exact formula applied ....

[@paulcalvinpacana8185]

I just got interested in this race. Just a couple of questions, all of the racers are using IMOCA MONOHULLS, is using this type exclusive to this race? Are multi-hulls banned from this competition or are they considered slow for a race such as this?

[@jackk7030]

Awesome 👍👍👍👍 Sea Wolves ! Great news could not be happier 💪💪💪💪💪💪

[@kmdavis92]

Cheers from Boston, #SeaWolves. Hats off and thoughts to Jean, Kevin, PRB, and everyone involved in the rescue, terrifying situation but fantastic seamanship. I was curious, maybe it’s been addressed, how often are skippers and the team at home base in communication? With today’s technology, are they in constant communication with the team when not trying to catch some z’s, or is it more of the typical scheduled daily sat phone update were all used to? Loving this channel, the updates, and discussions. Best part of the day! Would also love a tech talk on Ultime Tri’s.

[@AnttiBrax]

It depends on ths skipper. www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/15569/how-the-skippers-communicate-with-those-ashore There are rules of how shore teams may assist the skippers during tese sessions. Providing navigation assist etc is forbiden. There was an article on VG site about this too, but I can't find it now. I remember they have to keep log of websites they visit, for example.

[@STANLIZ4]

As a land lubber class1, these boats are clearly too weak for the forces to which they are subjected. This failure, broken in half, has similarities to Alex’s major structural bow failure, apart from 2 other failures. The UfO explanation doesnt cut it! Lives are being put at risk. Lets hope nothing more catastrophic doesnt occur with worse consequences. The scenario reminds me of F1 cars 40 years ago.

[@vendeeglobe8470]

or ppl not wearing their masks during a pandemic.

[@AnttiBrax]

1982 BOC round the world race, 40 years ago. Two boats sunk, one wrecked. These were "regular" boats, not IMOCAs. Ocean racing is just dangerous and a lot of improvements have been made (escape hatches, beacons, hull stability and righting restrictions).

[@STANLIZ4]

@@AnttiBrax Agree. I struggle to believe we cannot build a boat after 40yrs experience with massive material/tech advances that wont hold together! Didnt wooden tea clippers do it regularly mid 19th Century? Is the sea so full of UFOs, never seen, the cause of so much “damage”

[@AnttiBrax]

@@STANLIZ4 Are you deliberately choosing to not understand? We can build a boat that doesn't break but the boat speeds wouldn't be too exciting. The boats are fast and the race is safer. 30 years ago Kevin would have very likely died had he suffered similar crash. And there has been quite a lot of UFO damage before. You probably haven't been following the race very closely. Shipping containers were a known danger in the 90's already.

[@STANLIZ4]

@@AnttiBrax Firstly, I am not “deliberately choosing to not understand!” Secondly, when we build a car thats not “exciting” we build it in metal. We build a very fast car, we use carbon fibre, light/strong enough to withstand immense impact damage. Thirdly, Kevin survived due to safety technology advances - like racing drivers survive unimaginable impacts. Fourthly, boats are fitted with radar scanning for UFOs - like containers - the most likely cause of HB keel damage previously, lesson learned. Finally, no one mentions seeing UFOs, either following damage or sightings. HB bow suffered catastrophic structural damage, no mention of UFOs, then keel damage, cause unknown along with countless other instances of damage. Escofiers boat broke up - hit nothing. My view is, these boats are not built with sufficient margin of strength to withstand the conditions/speed they are capable of, there is a miss match. Boats taken out through such failures degrades the prestige of winning, we want the best sailor in the best boat to win, not the luckiest sailor.

[@carlesfontalavedra5374]

HEY FLORIAN, YOUR WAY OF TRANSMITTING INFORMATION AND THE CARISMA IS WHAT MAKES THIS CHANNEL SPECIAL. BUT ALTOUGH YOU ARE GREAT, ITS NOT THE SAME STORY WITH YOUR INTRO. IT DRIVES ME NUTS EVERYTIME I HEAR THE BEAUTIFUL WISTLE THREE TIMES AND THEN THE SOUND OF WATER AS IF A TSUNAMI WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THROUGH MY WINDOW. PLEASE, COULD YOU LOWER VOLUME OF THE SECOND PART OF THE INTRO. I AM GOING TO COPY PASTE THIS COMMENT UNTIL YOU RESPOND :) LOVE FROM SPAIN

[@capthawk57]

Other material scientists will tell you that carbon fiber is incredibly strong in compression and tension and unforgiving in twisting and impact. PRB is what would have happened to Alex if he had not seen his damage. All the other Foiler’s are very likely to have the same instantaneous failure if they make the same impact in the heavy sea. Fiberglass would be far better in flexing and impact absorption. Stand by for more events like this.

[@firstlast7719]

Yes I agree, it's a balance that is perhaps not fully understood and tested in rough seas. Daily inspections are a good idea, but not easy as Alex showed. The bulkhead entrance to the bow is not large enough to safely exit in a catastrophic failure.

[@AnttiBrax]

Alex's damage was at the bow, not at the mast like PRB. Hugo Boss was also designed from the start to withstand foiling loads, while PRB was retrofitted, so it's not really comparable. But yes, his hull would have broken if he hadn't done anything. That part is similar. :)

[@James-KL]

Thanks for excellent update!👏

[@bobthesnobscotland2821]

Cheers wolf man 🐺🥃

[@SeawolvesTV]

Proost

[@mrcharles2252]

Hi, in the last addition the boot was on the other foot with PRB rescuing Le cam. I couldn’t find a video so this is a written report of PRB rescuing Jean Le Cam, it’s only a text report that is able to portray the situation, spending 16 hours under an upturned boat and then his escape from the boat www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/jan/07/vendee-globe-le-cam-rescue

[@wdoochild]

un petit résumé ici kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5eXnYqrbq58iKc

[@passaiaswiss4846]

and the race goes on for Jean?

[@SeawolvesTV]

yes

[@alessandromattei686]

Excellent commentary of the events !!! Everything appeared to me in a new light ... and the voice, WOW! I'm not kidding you, it's a pleasure to follow your updates. ! One question, they will not take into account the time Jean Le Cam spent rescuing Kevin Escoffier but do they will recalculate a portion of the route/time from the mayday listening and gathering point to the Cape Town marina? An approximate calculation ? Don't you think it would be right? I wouldn't want to be misunderstood, great and full esteem for Jean Le Cam who consecrates him REAL SEA WOLF and reminded me of Soldini when I saved Isabelle Autissier.

[@AnttiBrax]

Jean isn't going to Cape Town. Kevin will likely be dropped off at Kerguelen to a French navy vessel, so the deviation will not be that big. But yes, the forced route alterations from intended route will be taken into account.

[@alessandromattei686]

@@AnttiBrax Thanks for the prompt reply and information. I hope to gather more info during the day. I just reviewed Kevin's video on Jean Le Cam's IMOCA, it all went fast, amazing.

[@velvetpaws999]

Florian, can you let me know what type of software you have to present the meteorological displays? I love it and would like to find this same one! Thanks for your great presentations! Always a pleasure to watch!

[@azmanic]

I managed to find it. It's a website called "MeteoEarth".

[@joem3556]

Water filled the cabin in minutes

[@andywylie287]

Seawolf! Great video today...as usual.

[@Lanxe]

17:20 - that's nightmare fuel for some folks. Very intense.