At around midday UTC yesterday, Wednesday 4 December, Louis Burton informed the Vendée Globe race management and his technical team that he had encountered serious damage to a mechanical element of the rigging of his IMOCA.
For 10 hours after that the skipper of Bureau Vallée searched for a solution to repair it. But his efforts have proven to be in vain. After a careful analysis of the situation, even with the determination that characterises the skipper who finished third on the 2020-21 race, Burton has had to abandon the race. He is heading towards Cape Town, which he should reach in around 36 hours.
While sailing ahead of a depression, in brisk but manageable conditions, Burton suffered a sudden damage to a mechanical element of the rigging. This means he can no longer manoeuvre his boat. The skipper of Bureau Vallée took the time to assess the damage, to try everything to repair it and to think long and hard before deciding to abandon.
After having repaired serious cracks in his boat alone at sea a fortnight ago this second major damage has substantially affected the integrity of his boat at a time when the weather conditions in the Southern Ocean are extremely demanding.
This decision was difficult to make but it is as a sailor who has two round the world races under his belt including that third place in the last Vendée Globe and 15 years of experience on the IMOCA circuit and 15 transatlantic races to his credit that Burton leaves the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe.
