The skipper was forced to give up during his 2nd Vendée Globe, after damage to his mast.
End of the adventure for Eric Bellion. The skipper of the STAND AS ONE-Altavia monohull threw in the towel after damage to his mast which risked falling. The forestay attachment of his J2 (foresail), already repaired, broke again forcing him to divert to the Falkland Islands to take shelter and repair. But on approach to Port Stanley, he finally decided to give up, the weather conditions being poor (north-west wind reaching 40 knots with gusts to 50 knots). To avoid endangering his boat, he returned to port and gave up.
“Given the weather situation in the area, I quickly realized that if I wanted to take shelter in this archipelago, I needed assistance”explained the skipper on Sunday. “I didn’t want to take any risks for the boat”. Eric Bellion now wants to repair and leave the race alone to complete his world tour. This is the 6th retirement from this Vendée Globe. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, Bellion was in 29th place, more than 6,000 nautical miles from leader Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance), who is expected at the finish line on Tuesday.
