Manuel Cousin (Groupe SÉTIN) abandons the Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne
by Vendée Arctique 17 Jun 2022 15:48 BST
17 June 2022
Groupe SÉTIN - Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne © Jean-Louis Carli / Alea / Vendée Arctique
Les Sables d’Olonne based French skipper Manuel Cousin confirmed his retirement from the Vendée Arctique Les Sables d’Olonne this afternoon Friday, June 17, a few hours after altering course to head southwards.
Cousin’s decision is one based on his safety and that of his boat and was made in two stages. On Friday evening, the adopted Vendéen - who is a former motor industry executive who turned to full time ocean racing - chose a more cautious route heading towards the south-east to get away from the center of the low pressure.
Then the neutralization of the race added to his concerns. "I did some routings all night and it appeared that, if I were to head for the Iceland gate again, as the depression is very big, I would have had to sail all the way upwind and would have arrived there very late. I'm sorry to turn around, it's my first retirement since I started out in the IMOCA since 2017, but I didn't want to put my boat at risk."
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