HAMPSHIRE solo sailor Nigel King has been forced to retire from the third leg of the prestigious Solitaire singlehanded race.
The Lymington-based yachtsman was well placed in the 50-strong fleet off the Ile d'Oleron in the Bay of Biscay when his autopilot broke.
Faced with 40-knot headwinds and rough seas forecast to worsen, the 38-year-old was left with no option but to return to La Rochelle to make emergency repairs.
His shore team have made their way from Corunna in the north of Spain to the French port to assess the damage.
Nigel has so far completed two of the legs of the long distance race, which started in Caen and has taken the fleet to Crosshaven in Ireland and Brest in France.
A spokeswoman for Nigel's campaign said that it was touch and go whether he would be able to catch the other boats before the start of the fourth leg in Corunna today.
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