It was with a heavy heart and in a state of extreme fatigue that Eric Bellion made the decision last night to give up his 2nd Vendée Globe.
After consulting those around him, assessing the situation and studying all the possibilities, the skipper of STAND AS ONE – Altavia had to face the facts, the weather conditions in the area and the configuration of this archipelago (which he knows well for having already stopped there 20 years ago during a previous adventure on Kifouine), did not allow him to bring his boat to safety without calling on outside help.
While he had rounded Cape Horn on Thursday and started his journey up the Atlantic, Éric contacted his team on land yesterday, Saturday January 11 at 9:33 a.m. to announce that the repair carried out a few days earlier (fixing of J2 forestay – headsail) had given way and he was diverting towards the Falkland Islands to seek shelter (north-west wind forecast could reach 40 knots – 70km/h with gusts to 50 knots – 92km/h).
After 14 hours of navigation, approaching Port Stanley (East Falkland) and as usual, Eric called on his seamanship: he did not consider it reasonable to retry this repair alone without then having the opportunity to test his efficiency and reliability. Repairing to set off again in heavy seas and upwind sailing would have meant accepting losing the mast at any time. Remember that Eric imagined and brought to life this decidedly offbeat boat (shared with Jean le Cam) in June 2023.
The rules are clear, “without assistance” is one of the parameters which constitutes the signature of this legendary race: calling on assistance means withdrawing from the competition. Determined but not obstinate, Eric made a reasonable choice, taking into account this structural damage which threatens the integrity of his mast. He nevertheless wants to steer his boat alone to Les Sables d’Olonne once it is reliable (2 people from his team should arrive there tomorrow). An adventure outside of the race should then begin to write the rest of the story.
Éric Bellion – skipper of STAND AS ONE – Altavia
“I was very afraid of losing my boat. If we had arrived 10 minutes later it would have run aground. The boat is safe and that’s all that matters”
“Yesterday early in the morning, while I was sailing due north in strong upwind winds to sail off the Falklands, I discovered that my repair had failed. Luckily I was able to bring it down and I had secured the mast with a cable before, so I didn’t lose the mast. The objective was then to find an area downwind of the Falklands to be able to repair. But as I sailed along the north coast of the Falklands, I realized that I couldn’t have a lasting repair without modifying a part I didn’t have on board.
Given the weather situation in the area, I quickly realized that if I wanted to take shelter in this archipelago (rather flat and where access by IMOCA is complicated) I needed assistance, I did not want to take any risk for the boat.
Making the decision to stop was horrible. I’m so disappointed after all these efforts, my goal was to fight, to give my best to move up the rankings. This is how it was supposed to be written, I now have to wait for the two people from my team to arrive on Monday with the famous part, for it to be repaired as quickly as possible so that I can leave peacefully alone. We will finish this world tour, a new adventure will begin and the story will be beautiful too.
It started very strong with the arrival in the Falklands, at night, with a wind of more than 35 knots and gusts that lasted, one of the most rock and roll maneuvers of my life as a sailor.
I owe the fact that the boat is intact, to the calm, the assurance and the professionalism of Paul, Marilou, Barth, Marion and the entire port team. All my instincts told me that I was heading straight into a trap, I was very afraid of losing my boat. It was a high-risk maneuver to moor to the pontoon. Ten minutes later, the wind increased to more than 50 knots, ten minutes later I think the boat ran aground. We were very lucky.
I am on land, welcomed by Marilou who gives me fruit and salads to eat, I walked on land for the first time, all these things that I had fantasized about doing in Les Sables d’Olonne and that I am doing finally here in the Falklands… it’s not how I imagined things but it’s how it is. I am very grateful for this chance that was given to the boat and me and I will try to use it as much as possible to finish this adventure in style.
We are safe, the boat is safe, no one is injured. I have been able to count on extraordinary people here, thank you very much for this support. Now we’re going to let the storm pass, we’re going to repair it and we’re going to move on. We dry our tears and build a new adventure. »
