A week before arrival, the skipper from Nice lost the keel of his monohull Virbac Paprec 3. A real disillusionment for the 47-year-old sailor, four years after his last withdrawal from the Vendée Globe.
One cannot say that the ascent of the Atlantic is a pleasure cruise for the Nice skipper. Already a victim of damage to his monohull Virbac Paprec 3 in December with a broken hook, Jean-Pierre Dick now finds himself without a keel. Needless to say, withdrawal is inevitable. So why do these Formula 1 of the seas break more in this edition?
With the Dick case, this will be the 8th withdrawal, a record for the Vendée Globe. Several sailors found themselves unable to sail without their keel. Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée), Marc Guillemot (Safran), and Jérémie Beyou (Maître Coq) were all forced to withdraw due to damage. This tool is essential for navigation. It becomes a stabilizing element of the boat. Without it, the skipper would no longer have any means of control over his monohull.
The return to Nice will have a slightly salty aftertaste. The celebration will not be the same at the Nautical Center, nor for the main sponsors starting with the family business in Carros, Paprec. Treated by many of his peers as the “daddy’s boy,” he has proven over the years that he has the makings of a great skipper. Many messages of support are pouring in from his partners, particularly those from the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes. The navigator is currently heading towards the Azores.
