"My ankle has been seriously damaged for four days. It has only swollen over time and because of the manoeuvres I have carried out on board, particularly to try to fix my major mainsail hook issues. I am suffering to the point of having difficulty moving on board my boat. Now, even when resting, I have a lot of pain, I cannot continue to sail in complete safety in this state. Last night, off Madeira, I climbed my mast. I managed, not without difficulty, to lower my mainsail. I noticed that the hook was in fact broken. We had every reason to be worried. At the same time, the mainsail track is seriously damaged. With or without my pain, it is impossible to change sections of this mainsail track three metres long. It is a boatyard job. I will let you imagine my physical and mental suffering. I am abandoning my second Vendée Globe! It took four years of preparation with my team to get to this point. However, everything was magical from start to finish but I feel like nothing has been good since my start on Sunday. If we knew, before setting off on the Vendée Globe what was going to happen, we would still never go back. The positive, despite the my great frustration, is that it will strengthen me for the future. I gave everything I could but this time this ankle and this mainsail are not giving me any options to write my sporting and adventurous story that deep down I love."
Maxime Sorel retires
Maxime Sorel the skipper of V and B - Monbana - Mayenne has taken the tough decision to retire from the Vendée Globe this Friday at midday. Since the second day his ankle has been badly swollen following a shock sustained when he was trying to repair his hook and mainsail track problems. His mainsail problem is considered "irreparable solo especially with him having so much difficulty putting his foot on the deck". Sorel was sheltered in the lee of Madeira last night. He will now prioritise having X-rays to make a medical diagnosis as quickly as possible. After five days of racing on this tenth Vendée Globe this is the first retirement from this edition of the race. Maxime wanted to react and explain:
© Maxime Sorel
© Maxime Sorel VandB - Monbana - Mayenne
