In early September, upon its arrival in Lorient, the IMOCA La Mie Câline was struck by a fishing boat. Between crisis management, rapid repairs, and mutual assistance with the fishing crew, skipper Arnaud Boissières reflects on the incident. Despite the unforeseen events, sportsmanship and solidarity turned this accident into an enriching human experience.

Can you tell us about the incident?

I spotted the fishing boat, but too late. I should have called the captain immediately, but I hesitated. When I finally took the initiative to contact him, he didn’t answer. Right after, I realized we were in a collision course... and boom! Fortunately, it wasn’t a violent impact, but it still made a distinct sound, like stepping on something that cracks—it was the carbon breaking.

We quickly spoke with the fisherman to assess the situation, and we confirmed there was no water ingress to worry about. However, the fisherman insisted on escorting us to Lorient, worried for our safety. I think he was more stressed than we were, but he helped ensure we arrived safely.

 

How did the repairs go?

Once docked, the shore teams took over to inspect the damage. It was an accident; these things happen, and we all handled it in good spirits. Thankfully, everything was sorted quickly. Being in Lorient, I was able to contact people like Antoine Prévost, who was nearby. This made the logistics for the repairs much easier. By the next day, we were back in Les Sables d’Olonne and had mobilized a team to haul the boat out of the water. By Thursday evening, everything was dismantled.

Julien Bigaud, with whom we had worked last winter, stepped in to assess the necessary repairs. We received a shipment of composite materials on Thursday afternoon, and the Spanish team arrived Friday evening to start the work. They did an amazing job, especially in molding part of the hull.

 

Our boat is the sistership of Monnoyeur-Duo for a Job. Fortunately, and I’m very grateful to him, Benjamin Ferré agreed to let us mold a part of the hull from his boat to carry out the repairs on ours. It was amazing to be able to do that! Plus, the teams from Les Sables d'Olonne were incredibly supportive and offered their help as well.

 

How did you manage such an intense period?

Honestly, it was intense. We pulled several all-nighters, especially over the weekend when the Spanish team came to help us. We were all on deck by 6 AM to make sure everything was ready. Thanks to that, the boat will be back in the water by Monday! I think we handled it well, given the timeline.

 

Did you ever consider not participating in the Vendée Globe at any point?

No, I never thought about pulling out. I was in action mode, focused on what needed to be done to keep moving forward. It’s true that, in hindsight, I realized how lucky we were. Just a few centimeters more and the damage could have been much worse, affecting the foils or the structural parts of the boat.

In the end, everyone handled this accident with a positive attitude. These things happen. Whether it's offshore racing or fishing, we all have our jobs, and sometimes our worlds collide unexpectedly. After all of this, I’m thinking of gifting him an AIS, it would be a nice gesture of prevention!