At 0820hrs UTC this morning, ARKEA PAPREC hit an unidentified floating object. The collision caused serious damage to the starboard foil. The skipper is coping with the situation with his shore team. Skipper Sébastien simon was not injured. 

While sailing in fourth place in the Vendée Globe 436 miles from the race leader, ARKEA PAPREC collided with an unidentified floating object. The incident damaged the starboard foil. The skipper quickly carried out an appraisal of the situation and shared the information with his shore team and the Race Directors to keep them informed about the situation. The starboard foil has been damaged. The lower wedge at the entry point (where the foil rests and is linked to the boat) and the foil housing (where the foil goes inside the boat) are no longer attached to the boat itself. Sébastien is doing his utmost to deal with the situation, particularly given the heavy seas and strong winds expected tonight. He has heeled the boat over to limit the ingress of water. It is not yet known how much water is entering the boat. 

 He was sailing on the port tack at 17.6 knots in the 0800hrs rankings in a 20-knot Westerly wind and heavy seas with 3-4m high waves.