SAILING: The French skipper, currently seventh in the Vendée Globe, apologized to his team and sponsors for this error …
Jean-Pierre Dick (Saint-Michel-Virbac) sailed late Friday in to the prohibited area of the ice (Antarctic exclusion zone or ZEA) defined by the Vendée Globe organizers to avoid collisions with icebergs.
Warned by the race director, Dick, then seventh, chose to turn around to correct his fault and reverse his travel direction of the 44 miles he had made into the forbidden zone, back to take the regular race route. He has lost eight hours in the maneuver .
Message de @JeanPierre_Dick qui s’excuse auprès de son team suite à sa faute #VendeeLive #VG2016 pic.twitter.com/RleuPT9wmU
— Vendée Globe (@VendeeGlobe) December 3, 2016
“I made a big mistake and was sorry” said the French skipper. “I want to apologize to my team and my sponsors. This error is not acceptable at this level. “
