Shortly after 4:30 GMT, Sébastien Josse alerted his team manager to major damage aboard the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. Leading the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe fleet after an outstanding start to the race, the solo sailor came to a violent halt.

Immediately up on deck, he observed that he’d lost part of the bow of his starboard float. It is night time in the area and given the sea state – nearly 4.5 metres of swell – and wind - 30 knots of northerly -, it’s difficult to gauge the extent of the damage for now.

Sébastien Josse is safe and sound and together with his shore team and his routing cell he’s currently looking for a solution to make terra firma as quickly as possible.

Indeed, the most important thing right now is to get the sailor to shelter as a new low pressure system will sweep across the Bay of Biscay over the coming hours.