Roura can no longer get her yacht afloat, but she wants to continue sailing

Roura can no longer get her yacht afloat, but she wants to continue sailing around the world

Alan Roura has to put up with a brake on the Vendée Globe circumnavigation. His yacht “La Fabrique” is no longer completely efficient. The problems with keel lifters are not definitively resolved and can probably no longer be eliminated. The man from Geneva came to this conclusion at the end of the year.

“I’m not 100 percent in the race anymore. That is difficult to accept, but I want to put an end to this circumnavigation of the world ”, quoted the 27-year-old in the statement of the crew of his country. “As long as my safety is not at risk, I will continue.”

Problems with hydraulics

Roura has already had to repair the weak point of his yacht twice. On December 25, there was even a threat of end because one of the lines of the hydraulic system had come loose. Now it turns out that the employer could not completely repair the damage. Air that entered the system will not allow the keel to stay in position when tilted due to lack of pressure.

With the tilting keel, the keel pump can be turned deep under the boat in the direction of the wind. Because the center of gravity changes, the boat rides more upright and is more efficient. Roura can no longer draw this trump card. You should avoid overloading the keel system.

Target out of range

Roura sailed around 2,400 nautical miles behind France’s leader Yannick Bestaven on Friday. It is ranked 16th in the middle. The regatta started on November 8. The fastest ships are expected to return to France in mid-January at the port of departure, Les Sables d’Olonne. The record of approximately 45,000 km is 74 days.

Even before the keel problems, Roura was behind the ambitious goals. A top ten ranking and 80-day return were out of reach early on. So far, 6 of the 33 employers, including six women, had to surrender. (ram / sda)

More from Alan Roura: