Friday 19th december 2008
Marc Guillemot : «Yann waved to me»
On Thursday morning, Safran immediately changed course to go to the help of Yann Eliès, who had injured his left leg and stuck inside his boat. After a hundred miles of difficult sailing, Marc Guillemot reached Generali at around 23h (CET). Marc's presence is allowing Yann Eliès to wait more serenely for the arrival of the Australian rescue team, which is due to arrive on Saturday afternoon.
«I'm sticking with Yann,» Marc announced. And that is exactly what he is doing, "like any other sailor would do." After arriving on the spot at 23h (CET), Marc managed to enter into contact by VHF radio with his friend Yann Eliès, who is suffering from a fractured left femur. The two men have entered a different dimension from the race. Now, people are talking of the comradeship between sea folk, of the overriding need to rescue a friend, who finds himself in an unfortunate situation in this terrible Indian Ocean, 1,500 kilometres from the nearest inhabited land.
«A very comforting moment»
On the 11:00 AM Vendée Globe radio session, Marc Guillemot told an incredible tale: «I'm 500 m away from Yann's boat. I have just moved a bit closer and we had a good talk. Just now there was a highly emotional moment: I put my boat under autopilot to get within a few metres of the stern of Generali and I gave a shout. I could see through the companionway on Generali that Yann was waving his hands and the shadow of his head. We talked to each other afterwards on the VHF, and that simple moment was extremely comforting for him and for me too, in fact. I know what it is like to suffer at sea (Marc fractured his pelvis in an accident on the Jet Services IV multihull, editor), it's really tough, but between the time I arrived and now (12 hours later, editor), I can hear in his voice that he 's feeling better, that he knows he just has to wait for the rescue team. If I have managed to offer him some small help, all well and good. I'm pleased about that. It was a great race, but I don't have any regrets. We've moved on to something else. It is quite normal for sea folk to behave this way.»
«Priority goes to helping others»
The skipper of Safran has manoeuvred several times to get close, even trying to throw some bottles of water inside Generali, to which he had stuck some medicine. With also a tin of the sailors' favourite, some Breton pâté. «For the moment, the first bottle landed in the cockpit and the second in the water, but what is a good sign is that we've been laughing about it with Yann.. You know, we people from Brittany have one big fault: we are stubborn and we're definitely not giving up and are seeing this through to a happy end. and yes, it will be happy,» asserted Marc Guillemot to whom everyone from the Generali team to the Race directors, as well as thousands of Internet users, have today paid homage.
Rough weather forecast for tonight
The skipper of Safran has been very reassuring, even with gales forecast in the zone, where Generali is hove to, under three reefs and staysail: 30 to 35 knot winds, gusting to 40 and heavy seas. «It's nothing. We'll deal with the bad weather and I'll be staying alongside Yann, until he is safely aboard the Australian naval vessel.»
The Australian Navy in the zone tomorrow
The Royal Australian Navy may be on the spot by tomorrow afternoon at around 15h CET, as the weather is likely to be calmer behind the front. On board the frigate HMSA Arunta, a hundred or so sailors set out yesterday evening from Perth and are on their way to the two sailors. Samantha Davies (Roxy) who also changed course, will be meeting up with the pair at around midnight. Offering some additional comfort to the two men, who are now writing a chapter in the legend of the Vendée Globe. This rescue will join those of Poupon by Peyron in 1989 and of Dinelli by Goss in 1996. One of those adventures of ocean racing, which attracts the admiration and respect of everyone, even if those involved refuse to be referred to as heroes.
Yann was able to reach his pain-killers
At the end of the radio session today, we had some excellent news from Erwan Steff, the Generali team manager: Yann Eliès had been able to cut one of his bags with a knife and find some pain-killers, a drink and something to eat. Yet another reason like Marc Guillemot to believe that "it will all work out in the end. I am certain we'll get through this and in the months ahead, we'll be laughing about it with Yann."
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