The inevitable has become a sad certainty for Tom Laperche: Less than a week after his arrival in Cape Town, Team SVR Lazartigue had to announce on Monday that it will not be possible for the giant blue foiler to resume racing. According to the team, the damage is too extensive to consider a restart.
We have to come to terms with the fact that we have to abandon the race" (Tom Laperche)
Tom Laperche arrived in Cape Town last Tuesday. The collision with an unknown object had already occurred on 18 January. The team now wants to concentrate on bringing the boat home to Concarneau. The "SVR Lazartigue" is due to compete for the Trophée Jules Verne in the autumn.
"We have to accept the fact that we have to abandon the race," said Tom Laperche, disillusioned. The young skipper, who had started the race so strongly and had battled for the lead in the South Atlantic with Charles Caudrelier on "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" in an impressive manner, had been abruptly thwarted by the "UFO" collision. The tiny hope of a repair happy ending in Cape Town and a return to the race was not realised.
Given the extent of the damage to the bottom of the fuselage, a restart is not possible" (Cécile Andrieu)
The official abandonment took place this Monday in consultation with the entire team and partners. "We saw the extent of the damage when we lifted the boat out of the water," explained team manager Cécile Andrieu. She continued, referring to the technical capabilities of the team in Cape Town: "Given the extent of the damage to the bottom of the hull, a restart is not possible. The repair requires very complicated and lengthy work. We don't necessarily have the capacity to carry it out here."
Tom Laperche mourned accordingly: "Of course it's hard to accept. I wanted to believe and hope that we could repair the damage quickly." Instead, the team had to explain: "The damage is far too extensive to imagine a reasonable period of time to resume the race and head for the Indian Ocean and then the Pacific."
The Jules Verne Trophy 2024 in sight
For Tom Laperche, it was not only his first major loss in a regatta. It was also the first time he had to retire from a race. At the same time, the retirement marks the first time a team has had to retire from the historic premiere of the Arkea Ultim Challenge. However, Team SVR Lazartigue is already looking to the future. "We will continue to make the trimaran reliable and improve it. I want to sail again as soon as possible," assured Tom Laperche.
The "SVR Lazartigue" is expected to arrive in Concarneau in the second half of March. The team estimates that the work required there will take "probably three months". This should allow the giant foiler to be launched again for the summer season. By then, it will be time to prepare for the next challenge: the Jules Verne Trophy, for which the classic standby window will open at the end of October. Cécile Andrieu described this upcoming challenge as an anchor in the storm for her team: "This date will determine our next few weeks like a small light at the end of the tunnel."
Record for Charles Caudrelier
At sea, meanwhile, the sporting action continues: Charles Caudrelier crossed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin at 1:03:10 on Sunday (28 January). In doing so, he set a new record for the single-handed crossing of the Indian Ocean. Charles Caudrelier on "Maxi Edmond de Rothschild" bettered the previous record set by Thomas Coville in 2016 by 3 hours and 57 minutes.
Caudrelier mastered the section between Cape Agulhas (South Africa), the gateway to the Indian Ocean, and the Southeast Cape as the connection point between the Indian and Pacific Oceans in 8 days, 8 hours, 20 minutes and 36 seconds at an average speed of 30.7 knots. The absolute best time on this section remains with Team Idec: Francis Joyon and his crew set it during their successful Jules Verne ride in 2016.
Armel Le Cléac'h puts the pedal to the metal on "Banque Populaire XI"
Provided that the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSR) confirms Caudrelier's record, the 49-year-old from Fouesnant has set his first transoceanic record in the Arkea Ultim Challenge. Team Gitana's number one had already secured the new reference time for single-handed sailors between Ouessant and Cape Leeuwin on 25 January. He had improved the time set by François Gabart in 2017 by 1 day, 8 hours, 25 minutes and 55 seconds.
The scenario at sea 22 days after the start of the Arkea Ultim Challenge in Brest on 7 January looked like this: Charles Caudrelier led the field, which had now shrunk to five boats, with a 2,460 nautical mile lead over Thomas Coville on "Sodebo Ultim 3". Only around 360 nautical miles behind Thomas Coville, Armel Le Cléac'h on "Banque Populaire XI" put the pedal to the metal on Monday afternoon in a race to catch up at just under 34 knots.
All five remaining boats back in the race
"Actual Ultim 3" skipper Anthony Marchand has accumulated 5,620 nautical miles behind the leader Charles Caudrelier due to his repair stop in Cape Town, but had already dived into the Indian Ocean. He is followed by Éric Péron on "Adagio", who has now sailed out of Cape Town again and is a good 6,520 nautical miles behind the leader.
