Skipper Louis Burton returned this Sunday afternoon to the damage that affected his monohull Bureau Vallée during the night from Saturday to Sunday. “At the start of the night, the wind was finally moving into the western option, he explained. It worked really well, I was neck and neck with Jérémie Beyou and Yoann Richomme, with the big gennaker (foresail) put on the spreader, the jokey-pool in the jargon. And then there was an oversold, I pulled down to unload the boat. There was a first crack, then two others. I quickly understood that this was not normal. »
After quickly going around the boat at first light, the sailor was able to note significant damage, cracks on the deck and the port (left) side planking. “The boat is badly damaged, but I don’t want to bring myself to abandon, he continued. There are too many issues at stake in this race, I think I’m going to repair it, I’m going to do that at sea. There are too many people following the project. We will do everything to continue! »
A little later, his team indicated in a press release that the Malouin had started repairs in the southwest of the Canaries. “At the level of the cracks on the aft deck and part of the port side plating, the interior and exterior are being sanded and ground before gluing carbon parts to secure everything. All the energy of the skipper of Bureau Vallée is focused on this major repair. »
