He finally threw in the towel.
Victim of “major damage” on the night of Wednesday 01/17 to Thursday 01/18, which had damaged his fin and pushed him to contact his technical unit, Tom Laperche, the youngest of the Arkéa Ultim Challenge, was forced to abandon this Monday in Cape Town (South Africa).
“The release of the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue from the water during a stopover in the port of Cape Town confirmed the extent of the damage following the damage suffered ten days ago,” said the Frenchman’s team in a press release released this Monday.
Repair within a reasonable time being impossible, the Arkéa Ultim Challenge ends prematurely.
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However, hope was there.
Tom Laperche's technical team hoped to be able to repair the boat in two or three weeks and allow the skipper to leave for Brest, where the finish will be judged.
Ultimately it won't be the case.
“It's obviously difficult to accept because it's the end of this world tour that I carried deep inside me,” declared Tom Laperche after his abandonment.
I wanted to fight to finish the race, I had the goal of finishing it.
So it's not easy.
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Despite this retirement, the first of his career, the Frenchman wanted to remain positive.
“It remains a mechanical sport, we cannot control everything,” he conceded.
In their sporting career, few, if any, sailors have ever experienced damage or abandonment.
It's hard but it's also part of the beauty of these races.
I remain convinced that sailing alone on these trimarans on a planetary scale is extraordinary and exciting.
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Tom Laperche now hopes to relaunch his Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue at the end of spring or beginning of summer, after the work has been completed.
His team will then look ahead to their next event: the Jules Verne Trophy, which will begin at the end of October 2024.
For the rest of the competitors, the Arkéa Ultim Challenge continues.
Charles Caudrelier is still in the lead ahead of Thomas Coville and Armel Le Cléac'h.
However, the gaps remain small, especially between second and third.
The battle promises to be tough until Brest.