Vendee Globe: Tough start

As of 19:45 GMT on November 10th, 8 out of the 30 boats had headed home. This is bad enough but what does it presage for the rest of the Vendee?  No doubt the storm that hit them in Biscay was a bad one. It sounds like some of the problems are fixable but quite a few may be race-ending.

In a bizarre way these guys are forunate. Their boats were tested early and because they can return and restart they may have averted a problem early that could have been disastrous in the Southern Ocean.

What this brought home was how seemingly fragile these boats are in the conditions they face. When they are less than 300 miles from the start, they can turn round and affect repairs. What happens when they are in the Roaring Forties, especially after their boats have been pounded for weeks on end? It's a sobering thought.