January 21, 2013
Broken rib for Alessandro
After climbing his mast yesterday evening, Alessandro Di Benedetto keeps having bad luck. Following the nose-dive by his boat, the sailor was injured and lost his small spinnaker in the manoeuvre.
"About one hour ago at 3AM, I was trying to rest when the boat lay down in a sudden on the port side (I think it's because of a wave). I was under solent with two reefs in the mainsail. I went out to put everything back together. I was putting down the port rudder when another wave smashed on the boat and made the mainsail go on the starboard side. I caught the mainsail sheet on the right side of my face and I fell on the left side of my chest.
Appraisal: a small cut at the base of the left nostril which I treated with some sterile strip and a broken rib, according to advice from Dr. Chauve (the Vendée Globe Doctor). Unfortunately, I lost another sail (the small spinnaker) as it was outside in a bag and was swept away when the boat lay down. It will be difficult to manoeuvre now with this pain. Have a good day, Alessandro."
Contacted by phone this morning, Alessandro tries to recover and rest. Already very tired by his two mast climbs - he hasn't slept for 48 hours - Alessandro has kept up his morale despite the pain and the fatigue.
Sabina Mollart-Rogerson
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