A rogue wave brought New Brunswick skipper Derek Hatfield's pursuit of the prestigious Vendée Globe sailing race to a crashing end south of Australia on Sunday.

The former Mactaquac resident was the only Canadian entered in the around-the-world sailing race, but he was forced to withdraw from the field when the wave flipped his vessel, The Spirit of Canada, upside down, breaking the mast .

Given the hard work of many people to prepare for the race, Hatfield said it's a major disappointment to pull out of the competition.

"We're devastated, of course, with all the people, all the support that we had over the past five years. But the sea is the sea and you can't predict when … big waves will hit you," Hatfield said.

Hatfield said the wave hit south of Australia. He's now trying to get The Spirit of Canada safely to port in the country for repairs.

According to the Vendée Globe website, there has been a storm raging in the area for more than five days.

"The storm seemed to be subsiding when a huge wave knocked the boat on its side, putting the mast in the water, not an easy thing to do on these 60-by-20 boats," the website said.

The accident happened as the Canadian skipper was in his bunk.

"I was trying to get a little bit of sleep and while I was laying in my bunk the big wave rolled the boat upside down, mast in the water, and broke two of the spreaders on the mast. And these are things I unfortunately cannot fix at sea. So unfortunately it's knocked us out of the race," he said.

Hatfield, the 13th competitor to drop out of the race, had tried once before to sail around the world alone.

The Vendée Globe started Nov. 9, when 30 boats left a French port.