Jean Luc Van Den Heede will make it home in time for Christmas, “This will be my last message at sea,” VDH wrote in his web-posted logbook on 12/21. “Today I confirm my arrival for tomorrow evening, in the port of Les Sables dOlonne from 7:00 pm.”
Van Den Heede aborted a run at the west-about singlehanded around the world record in mid-November when the keel-supporting grid of stringers and ribs on his 84-foot aluminum sloop began to fail. At the time of the failure he had just rounded Cape Horn and entered the Pacific Ocean.
Van Den Heede has not given up on the record attempt completely. His final e-mail from the boat ended with: “It is only postponed¿ so see you soon!”
http://www.vdh.fr/gb/
