Following the verification of the on-board computers of all the Figaro Beneteau 3s in Piriac-sur-Mer, the jury of the French Sailing Federation, chaired by Georges Priol, took the decision this Saturday to exclude Benoît Tuduri (CAPSO – En Cavale) from the race and to disqualify Pierre Daniellot (Team Vendée Formation) from the second and third stages of the race.
The two sailors actually downloaded GRIB (weather) files during the race which is prohibited by the class rule and therefore also contravenes World Sailing rule 69 (harm to the image of the sport). During the instruction, the skipper of CAPSO – En Cavale “admitted that he had taken a second phone on board allowing him to benefit from an Internet connection, which absolutely contravenes all the rules of the race on which the means of reception on board are prohibited. Following his hearing by the FFVoile jury, Benoît Tuduri is therefore excluded from the event. “Given the seriousness of the facts, a report will be sent by the jury to the FFVoile, which could lead to additional consequences for the runner.”
The case of Pierre Daniellot is a little different: due to the limited number of files downloaded, one in England, the other in Vendée and without proven proof that he had a telephone on board, the sanction is less heavy. He was disqualified from stages 2 and 3. He thus fell from 9th to 28th place in the general classification, knowing that any person disqualified on a stage is credited with the last person’s time to which three hours are added.
