One more damage. And too much. The company Corum L’Epagne, which launched its sailing project with great fanfare in a Parisian cabaret in 2020, has decided to withdraw a few months before the next Vendée Globe. The last straw, it is fair to say, was a new problem, a dismasting of the Imoca monohull, just four days ago during the Azimut Challenge. A huge disappointment for its skipper, Nicolas Troussel, and a big surprise since major work had been carried out for six months to try to finally make this not very well-born boat competitive, and reliable, which has had a series of struggles since its launch. in the water (dismasting during her first Vendée Globe in 2020, hull bottom and keel problem and above all lack of performance).
The double winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, who was to line up at the start of the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre on October 29 in Le Havre, did not hide his disappointment: “It’s a hard moment and full of emotion (… ) To stop the project like that makes sense for them, but not for me. But I respect their decision,” he confided to our colleagues at L’Equipe, affirming that he still wishes to compete in the 2024 Vendée Globe. To do this, he would need to be able to buy his boat and find a sponsor quickly. The mission is complicated but not totally impossible for a talented sailor like him…