French yachtie's race dream ends in Bluff

A solo round-the-world race came to a disappointing end for a French yachtsman when he arrived in Bluff yesterday.

Thierry Dubois, aged 33, was forced to pull out of the Vendee Globe race after the electrical systems on his yacht Solidaires failed about a week ago.

He was lying fourth and believed he could have maintained at least that position or better until the end.

Dubois had no charts to enter Bluff Harbour. Coordinates from charts lent by local fishermen were e-mailed to Paris and then passed on to the yachtsman by satellite phone.

Support crew were delighted with the generosity of the Bluff people in offering assistance.

Although the race is over for Dubois, he plans to complete the event as a personal challenge.

In the previous race, in 1996/97, his yacht capsized near Australia and he was rescued by the Australian Navy.

"For me the race is finished but I want to finish the round-the-world in good condition, in safe condition," he said.

His yacht was towed into harbour yesterday so it can be repaired.

Parts unobtainable in New Zealand arrived with French photographer Thierry Martinez, who was in Sydney covering the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race.

Coming to Bluff to help Dubois meant giving up photographing fireworks in Sydney on New Year's Eve.

Dubois generates this level of support partly because he is sailing for Amnesty International and has the smallest budget in the race.

Martinez said he and many others had been helping Dubois for five or six years for no cost.

Dubois built his yacht and considers it one of the safest in the race, with 11 separate compartments in the hull.

The electrical system needs a new alternator, a Simrad auto-pilot brain and gelcel batteries.

For the past week Dubois has been forced to run his generator 20-24 hours a day.

"I can't do it like this," he said.

"I don't have enough fuel on board."

New Zealand, and Bluff, will be the focus of many French schoolchildren's attention, thanks to Dubois.

His progress was being followed by 600 schools in France, Martinez said.

They were basing their curriculum around the logistics of Dubois' race and the places he went past.

Subjects they touched on included mathematics, geography and natural history.

- NZPA