The damage was too great for Louis Burton to set sail again... The skipper of Bureau Vallée 2 joined Roscoff on 5 November in the middle of the day after the damage to his starboard foil well. After 10 hours of racing, the skipper from Saint-Malo was in 4th place in the IMOCA class with peaks of over 23 knots. However, a pulley located in the foil well of the 60-foot monohull broke off and made a 30-cm hole in the starboard well, creating a major waterway when sailing on port tack, making it impossible to use the starboard foil.
2 unsatisfactory solutions
When Louis Burton and his team arrived in Brittany, they were able to see the extent of the damage, after pumping all the water in the boat. 2 solutions were then considered
? Fill the hole removing the foil and sealing the foil well, but this solution made it impossible to use the foil, but above all - in view of the conditions to come - did not ensure the integrity of the boat.
? Perform a complete repair of the composite well, with a new pulley in the well, to be able to use the starboard foil. This technical solution would have required a minimum stop of 48 hours (remove the foil, dry the boat, make composite) and would not have been carried out under ideal conditions.
Electrical and hydraulic problems
In addition to these foil problems, the water that leaked into the boat caused problems with the electrical and hydraulic keel systems
Abandonment, death in the soul
In view of all these problems that would not allow Louis Burton to return to the race in safety, and in view of the upcoming weather conditions - two lows are announced until the end of the week - the decision has been taken to abandon.
The skipper of Bureau Vallée 2 was participating for the first time in the Route du Rhum and had clear results objectives, with a 3rd place on the podium. The team will now try to understand how this damage could have occurred and address the repairs
" Obviously my disappointment is huge. I was in on it, the boat was going really fast with its new sails, and the quality of its preparation. I was in great shape and I knew that with such a machine I could do something good. Today, out of the 20 IMOCAs at the start, only 14 remain in the race at the moment. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. This is my second retirement in ten years of ocean racing, I do not accept to accept it. With the support of my sponsor Bureau Vallée and my team, we will think and work to repair and improve my boat, in order to leave it more beautifully" concludes Louis Burton.
