Ambrogio’s Route du Rhum is over, but for Bogi and the Allagrande Mapei team another challenge has begun, perhaps an even more complicated one: bringing Ambrogio safely back to land after the injury that forced him to retire from the race.

It all started late on Thursday evening, at 23:30 French time, when the team received a message from the boat: "I fell, I’m in contact with the race doctor. I’m struggling to breathe. I’ll keep you posted, but for the race it’s not looking good."

Ambrogio had fallen inside the boat, leaving him in severe back pain and with breathing difficulties. Sea conditions had been extremely tough in the previous hours, with gusts of up to 45 knots and four‑metre waves, and Bogi had already had to deal on his own with the ballast failure that had flooded the battery compartment and knocked out the electronics.

Despite the pain, Ambrogio’s first intention was to carry on. Strategically, "Allagrande Mapei" was still in an interesting position, on the inside of the wind bend compared with the group that had chosen the southern route. After the difficulties of the previous days, a good result was back within reach.

All night he stayed in contact with the race doctor, trying to work out whether it was possible to continue. But at 5:50 in the morning came the message we had hoped not to read:

Knowing Bogi, and above all having seen how he dealt with the problems of the previous days, it’s hard to imagine how much pain he must have been in to make this decision.

A change of plans

From that moment, everything changed for the Allagrande Mapei team. The team immediately mobilised to let everyone know: the sponsor, the family and, in coordination with the race organisers, the public.

The plan had been to fly out to Guadeloupe on Sunday, welcome Ambrogio in Pointe‑à‑Pitre and then organise the boat’s delivery back to Europe. Within a few hours, all of that was cancelled and replaced by a new mission: get to the Azores and organise Bogi’s recovery.

That is one of the realities of ocean racing. You need a lot of mental flexibility, because what we imagine for our near future can change radically, and very often it does.

Team Manager Alice Poursain, together with logistics manager Jeanne Troché, coordinated the team’s mobilisation and, within a few hours, flights and logistics were ready: Bastian Oger, Riccardo Apolloni and Victor Jost left from Brittany, Alberto Riva from Barcelona and Carlos Olsson from Berlin. Everyone was to meet in Lisbon before heading on to the Azores.

A real mission put together in a few hours, with everything that might be needed: gear for the boat, safety equipment, clothes for Ambrogio and a supply of freeze‑dried food. The food planned for the return delivery had, of course, already been shipped to Guadeloupe, because until the day before nobody would have imagined having to go to Horta.

After a long journey, the team arrived in Ponta Delgada at 00:30 local time, 2:30 in France. A few hours’ sleep and then another flight, this time to Horta, on the island of Faial.

Meanwhile Ambrogio is still alone on board "Allagrande Mapei" and has to sail through a fairly deep low, with winds over 35 knots and five‑metre waves. In the morning he sends a rather ironic message:

Finding Ambrogio’s irony again is certainly good news, but behind the joke lies the very real question of getting to land. As for the IMOCA as a cruising boat, we’ll think about that after the Vendée!

Horta, the sailors’ refuge

In Horta, meanwhile, the team is preparing for the arrival of "Allagrande Mapei".

Helping them is "Couscous", a small local legend. Originally from Lorient, he worked in ocean racing for twenty years before moving to the Azores, where he runs a restaurant and a chandlery. He has found a RIB, is organising the moorings and is putting the team in touch with the local authorities.

Horta is one of those places that hold a special meaning for anyone sailing the Atlantic. A port that for generations has welcomed sailors on passage, often after thousands of miles of ocean, sometimes by choice and sometimes out of necessity. All five members of the team sent to the Azores have found shelter there at least once before.

This time, though, the arrival looks set to be particularly complicated.

The last miles, perhaps the hardest

"Allagrande Mapei" is expected on Sunday morning, but the forecast off Horta is for four‑metre waves and 35 knots of average wind.

The port doesn’t offer much room to manoeuvre in these conditions, and Ambrogio, injured, may not be able to handle the manoeuvres needed to get in on his own.

The team is looking at every option to organise a safe arrival. A medical team will be on hand to assist Ambrogio and step in quickly, while on shore work continues to find the best way to recover the skipper and make the boat safe.

The race is over; now the priority is to bring Ambrogio and "Allagrande Mapei" home safely.

We’ll update you on the operation tomorrow.