Vendée Globe - Update on Isabelle Joschke

Although she still has some brisk winds Isabelle Joschke is out of danger and making about 8 to 9 knots under reduced sail taking care of MACSF since she retired from the Vendée Globe with damage to her keel canting system such that the keel is not secured and pivoting free.

Her team and Race Direction are in regular contact with the Franco-German skipper as they evaluate where the best port will be for her to head to, almost certainly on the Brasilian coast.

“The port could be Itajai, Rio de Janeiro or Salvador de Bahia. The goal is for her to move north as quickly as possible to find a flow of easterly trade winds in latitude 25-26 south. We are in the process of setting up arrival solutions to have a team ready to welcome Isa. Beyond that the repair of the boat in situ so that it returns to France by sea or whether we load the IMOCA MACSF on to a cargo ship has not yet been decided.” a recent team update stated.

Speaking on the French Vendée Live show yesterday Joschke said

“It’s going a lot better now, it’s calmer, it was really tense for 2 days, but now there’s sunshine, there’s some respite. But there’s still some water getting in. Until I touch land, I won’t be 100% out of danger. I’m still figuring out where I’m going to head to. For the moment it will be either Rio de Janeiro or Salvador in Bahia, depending on what will be the easiest route. I’ve received lots of messages of support, not only since my retirement from the race, but also during my race itself, loads of messages of encouragement.”

www.vendeeglobe.org

Cover photo © Isabelle Joschke / MACSF