Paris (AFP)

While they had a day ahead of the Jules Verne Trophy record, Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier were forced to abandon their attempt on Friday due to a rudder damage on their 32m flying multihull (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild), their team announced.

A few hours after having made public a problem with "their starboard float rudder", the men of Team Gitana had to decide to retire.

"The situation is 'safe' but we cannot go fast", commented Charles Caudrelier, who inevitably evokes "a huge disappointment".

"We turned around, we are on our way to Cape Town, about two days away at sea. Until then we will decide whether we will make a technical stop in South Africa or if we will go directly back to Brittany by our own means ", specifies the skipper.

The crew, made up of six sailors, had passed the latitude of Cap des Aiguilles (southern tip of Africa) on Thursday with 1 day and 7 hours ahead of the boat that held the record for the round the world crewed non-stop, that of Francis Joyon (Idec Sport).

Leaving Ouessant on January 10, the sailors had taken 11 days and 14 hours to reach this course, a new reference time on this portion (Ouessant-Cap des Aiguilles), which is not listed by the validating body. the world sailing records (World Sailing Speed ​​Record Council).

The sailors had in view the 40 days and 23 hours signed by Joyon and his 5 crew in January 2017, the absolute record around the planet.

./fbr/dif

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