Following damage to the bowsprit of the Class40 Bleu Blanc Planète Location on 29 April at around 17:00 UT, and after discussion with all those involved in the project, Quentin Le Nabour informed the Race Direction of The Transat CIC of his decision to retire at 05:00 UT this morning.
‘Following my return to the port of Lorient yesterday morning and after consulting the suppliers, I declared my retirement to the Race Direction. Apart from the material damage, we're well aware of just how young our boat is. Setting off far from the other competitors with a boat that had lost a major part would not have been beneficial for the rest of our programme. So, in consultation with my partner, we've decided to consolidate the work we've been doing on the boat for several months and to return to 100% of our potential for the Transat Québec-Saint-Malo", he declared.
The skipper from Saint Malo is very disappointed, but he has to move on: ‘We're in a mechanical sport where the hazards of breakage are known to everyone. We now have to identify the reasons and design a new part, which we'll test before making the short-handed trip to Quebec in the next few weeks. I'd like to thank all those who have sent us messages of support, and of course my technical team and my partner Bleu Blanc Planète Location for their unfailing commitment. I'd also like to thank the organisers and the Race Directors, not forgetting the people of Lorient for their warm welcome in the week leading up to the start.
