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The Longest Six and Half Feet

Mark Guillemot’s Safran approaches the stricken Yann Elies aboard Generali.

© Mark Guillemot

It’s only six and a half feet, but the distance separating Yann Eliès from his medical kit might as well be intercontinental. He was working on the bow of his IMOCA 60 Generali Thursday morning sailing in seventh place in the Vendée Globe Race, when the boat hit a wave that violently stopped the boat and threw him to the deck, fracturing his left femur. The French skipper managed to crawl down below and into his bunk at the nav station, where he’s been ever since, unable to move or reach any heavy duty pain medication for relief. Although a rescue effort was promptly launched by the Australian Navy, the frigate Arunta isn’t expected to reach Eliès’ position, some 800 miles south of Australia, until Saturday afternoon UTC. So for now, he must wait, in pain.

Marc Guillemot’s Safran was closest to Generali — which is hove-to under a staysail and three reefs — and has already arrived on scene to provide moral support, with Sam Davies’ Roxy due to arrive shortly. Guillemot’s attempts to toss water bottles and some pain meds down Generali’s companionway have so far proven unsuccessful, but at a news conference today, Eliès’ shore manager said the skipper’s morale has significantly improved since Guillemot’s arrival.

Yann Elies on the bow of Generali, the scene of the accident.

© Francois Van Malleghem / DPPI / Vendee Globe

“We spoke to Yann this morning," said Team Generali Administration and Technical Manager, Erwan Steff. "He is a bit better. Unfortunately he still has not taken any painkillers or medicine. He has no water nearby, but his morale is rising. He has been able to find lime juice, a cereal bar and condensed milk — some essentials. He is still in a lot of pain but Marc Guillemot is there and his hope is boosted by the news the [Arunta] is going faster than expected. Yann saw Marc’s sails from where he is, so now he can physically see his friend, and that helped him. The fact that Marc tried to throw him food and medicine makes him realize that people are mobilized to get him out of this situation. Marc has gone through this situation himself before — when a capsize aboard Jet Services V in December 1985 left him trapped with badly broken hip — so he knows how to talk to Yann and find the right words to help him through this."

As for Elies’ prognosis, Race Doctor Jean Yves Chauve summed up what is a grim, but at this point stable, condition: "I spoke to Yann this morning and we did a checkup as we do every two hours," he said. "Of course Yann still cannot move, since the pain is so intense. He can move his toes and has good blood circulation around the leg. Because of the fracture there’s probably internal bleeding; the leg is a bit displaced on the outside, so there’s a loss of circulation somewhere above the knee. The thigh is very painful and is swollen. His whole left side hurts, he has some bad bruises and the muscles are very tense and sore as they contract themselves. His back hurts around one rib, so we don’t know if he has a broken rib or a bruise. Even if it is a broken rib it’s not that serious. The difficulty is that he cannot move to get food but he only has 24 hours to go so logically that should not pose a problem. The problem is that he still cannot access the painkillers. But he’s in a position where, if he doesn’t move, he doesn’t hurt."

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