-Sailor Maxime Sorel became the first Vendee Globe casualty on Friday when he quit five days into the solo, non-stop round-the-world race, a victim of injury and equipment failure.
The Frenchman finished 10th in the last edition of the race dubbed “Everest of the Seas” before going on to climb the actual highest mountain in the world two years later.
The 39-year-old had been battling a swollen ankle, however, an injury sustained while attempting to repair his damaged mainsail.
“The pain is constant, especially when I put my foot on a curved surface, and so I have a great difficulty moving around on board,” said the only skipper to have conquered the two Everests.
Sorel sought shelter off Madeira on Thursday night, where he made a final attempt to address a mainsail problem.
“Last night, off Madeira, I climbed my mast. I managed, not without difficulty, to lower my mainsail. I noticed that the hook was indeed broken,” he explained.
“The mainsail track is seriously damaged. With or without my pain, it is impossible to change sections of this mainsail track three metres high. It is a construction site job.”
Sorel remains optimistic about the future.
“The positive, despite the great frustration, is that it will boost me for the future. I gave everything I could but this ankle and this mainsail are not giving me the chance this time to write my sporting and adventurous story that I love deep down.”
Starting and finishing in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, the Vendee covers approximately 24,000 nautical miles, taking skippers through some of the planet’s most treacherous waters, including the Southern Ocean and around the notorious Cape of Good Hope.
The race started on Sunday, with 40 skippers representing 11 nations. The last Vendee Globe in 2020-21 was won by Frenchman Yannick Bestaven.
Briton Sam Goodchild leads this year’s race with France’s Sebastien Simon second and Swiss Justine Mettraux third as the fleet passes the Canary Islands.
(Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ed Osmond)
