The Arch, competing on the Pro Sailing Tour’s Final Rush, the offshore race between Toulon and Brest, dismasted this morning at 01:23 while leading the race alongside Leyton. 

"We were sailing under full mainsail in 14-18 knots of wind, I was at the helm and suddenly the mast came down like a house of cards, we don't yet know what caused it," said Benoît Marie, who co skippers of The Arch trimaran with Armel Tripon.

There were no injuries, the mast broke in two. The crew is securing the rigging and a towing operation is underway to reach the coast safely (12 miles from Lagos, Portugal).

Please check the website for further updates - https://prosailingtour.com/en/

Photo:  © Jacques Vapillon/Pro Sailing Tour

Provisional overall standings Pro Sailing Tour after three stages:
1 - Leyton (Sam Goodchild) - 7+7+8 = 22 pts
2 - Arkema 4 (Quentin Vlamynck) - 6+5+7 = 18 pts
3 - Ciela Village (Erwan Le Roux) - 5+4+6 = 15 pts
4 - Primonial (Sébastien Rogues) - 2+6+4 = 12 pts
5 - Solidaires En Peloton - ARSEP (Thibaut Vauchel-Camus) - 3+3+5 = 11 pts
6 - Groupe GCA 1001 sourires (Gilles Lamiré) - 4+2+2 = 8 pts
7 - The Arch (Armel Tripon/ Benoît Marie), 0+0+3 = 3 pts