From SA today:

"With more than 22 800 miles on the clock, covered at high speed, IDEC is showing signs of getting tired. At the end of a dantesque night, fighting squalls in the Doldrums, Francis Joyon has reported two problems, are slowing his progress towards the finish.

A breakage of the mainsail halyard forced Francis to undertake a first perilous ascent of the mast, last night, and at the head he discovered a much more serious problem, where the starboard stay is anchored. This heavy cable, which keeps the mast in position laterally, is fixed by a spindle that had started to unscrew. This meant that Francis had to descend for tools, then climb the mast again to try to stabilize the stay and screw home this vital part.

Francis has an ankle injury

These ascents of the mast, in extremely dangerous conditions, subjected Francis to numerous bodily shocks and he sustained an ankle injury during the second climb. He has now decided to have a rest and wait for a more regular northerly wind to calm the sea a little: "I hurt my ankle during my second climb, because the boat was moving so much." he said. " I will take a little time to recover and to think about the best way to resolve the problem." Under three reefs and staysail, IDEC is only moving slowly away from the Doldrums.

'I'm trying to advance as best as I can for the time being." Said an obviously tired Francis Joyon "I am in around 18 knots of wind, but I cannot go quickly bearing in mind the shape of the sails is now aimed at preserving the mast."

A difficult repair

With a very confused sea and without appropriate tools, Francis only succeded in attaching the genaker halyard, to help the stay and - if the stay should detach - to slow the rate of fall of the carbon mast. Sea conditions make it impossible to make further repairs.

Francis has been on the phone to his shore team and the mast designers to discuss possible ways of preventing the spindle unwinding and best managing the risks involved. "