Monaco Yacht Club member and Route du Rhum competitor Oren Nataf has been forced to withdraw from the trans-Atlantic race after sustaining damage while Boris Herrmann is still well and truly in the race.

Amateur sailor Nataf sustained the damage right at the beginning of the race, and was quickly forced to return to Saint-Malo late on Wednesday. “We gybed just before releasing the crew and the sail tore in two. We don’t really know why. It was only three years old and not in bad condition,” said Nataf.

“We looked at all possible solutions with Sidney Gavignet, who is supporting me on this race. We could have had the mainsail repaired, but as I’m not an experienced sailor it wasn’t reasonable to go back out to sea with a sail that was not 100% and could tear again. Also, the weather window is closing. I was all set to leave but that’s the way it is. It’s better that it happened now and not in the middle of the Atlantic. Sailing is a mechanical sport. I would like to thank all the team who have helped me. We will come back stronger in four years,” he continued.

The rest of the flotilla, including YCM boat Malizia-Seaexplorer are still en route to Guadeloupe. Sailed by Boris Herrmann, the Monaco-based team are currently 13th in the IMOCA group and 254 nautical miles away from leader APIVIA, sailed by Charlie Dalin.

Check out Boris Herrmann’s latest video below:

Photo by Yacht Club of Monaco