Solo sailor crosses the line in Boston still nursing a broken rib

This is French sailor Marc Guillemot arriving in Boston at dawn this morning to take 4th place in the Artemis Transat race in his IMOCA 60 Safran. His time from Plymouth to Boston was 14d 21h, over two days behind winner Loick Peyron, something that is indicative of how the fleet has been split this time by unusually light conditions in the North Atlantic.

Guillemot’s great feat was in continuing to the finish. He broke a rib during a wipeout in the first 48 hours of the race and soon fell away from the leading pack, never to get back in touch again. He continued, however, saying that he became used to the pain.

Guillemot, like race winner Loick Peyron, is one of the former ORMA trimaran sailors coming into the more active world of IMOCA 60s and his boat Safran, designed by Guillaume Verdier, is generally viewed as one of the fastest of the new boats but he has yet to find the top gear in her on a solo race.