Zbigniew Gutikowski

The six boats leading in the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race have all crossed the equator and are heading for the Southern Ocean.  The leaders are, respectively – Armel Le Cléac´h,  François Gabart, Bernard Stamm, Vincent Riou, Jean-Pierre Dick, and Alex Thomson.  Meanwhile, Zbigniew Gutikowski, known as ‘Gutek,’  has retired from the race after facing repeated autopilot failures. ‘Gutek’ is the sixth of the original 20 racers to have retired from the race in the first eleven days of sailing.   ‘Gutek’ came in second overall in the 2010-2011 Velux Five Oceans singlehanded around the world race.