Following the collision on November 1st off the coast of Bréhat, Violette Dorange and her team did everything possible to get Initiatives-Cœur underway again. Extensive investigations carried out in Lorient revealed more significant structural damage than that observed during the stopover in Roscoff. The time required for repairs will prevent Violette from resuming the race.
More damage than expected
After four days of work and expert assessments in Lorient, the Initiatives-Cœur team has announced that Violette Dorange will not be participating in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. Despite their unwavering commitment to doing everything possible to restart the race, the in-depth examinations revealed more extensive damage than initially identified. The lengthy repair process makes a return to competition impossible.
On Sunday, November 1st, approximately two hours after departing from Saint-Malo, the IMOCA Initiatives-Cœur collided with Romain Pilliard's trimaran Use It Again off the coast of Bréhat. The collision caused material damage to both boats, but no injuries. Violette stopped in Roscoff for an initial assessment before heading to Lorient so that its technical team could begin the necessary investigations and repairs.
From the outset of the repairs, the team did everything possible to enable a return to racing. They knew, however, that a complete diagnosis would require in-depth examinations, going beyond initial visual observations and ultrasonic testing. The dismantling of the damaged areas of the hull bottom revealed that the planking – the hull wall, made of a composite sandwich with a honeycomb core – was saturated with water. Further damage was discovered beneath a structural element that also needs to be dismantled.
These findings necessitate bringing the boat under cover, allowing it to dry, and then rebuilding the damaged areas. The time required for this repair will prevent the boat from continuing the race.
The circumstances of the collision are being examined by the race jury. Violette and the Initiatives-Cœur team will respect their decision and will not comment until then. They send their thoughts to Romain Pilliard and the Use It Again team, and hope he can resume racing as soon as possible.
"A great disappointment"
“It’s obviously a huge disappointment. I’m sad to have to stop here, but the state of the boat leaves us no choice. I want to thank the entire team for their commitment since Sunday, as well as everyone who came to support us in Roscoff and Lorient, not forgetting the many messages we received. This wave of solidarity has deeply touched me. I’m already looking forward to getting back to racing. I’m also thinking of Romain Pilliard and his team, as well as the other projects that have suffered damage on this Route du Rhum.” — Violette Dorange
“We approached this project with a clear objective: to do everything possible to get Violette back on the water, without ever compromising the safety and integrity of the boat. We knew that initial assessments wouldn't be enough to establish a complete diagnosis and that only dismantling the affected areas would allow us to accurately measure the damage. The investigations revealed that the hull bottom required much more extensive work. This type of repair is done ashore, and it takes time. This timeframe is incompatible with the race: we must first and foremost ensure the safety of Violette and the boat.” — Ronan Deshayes, Technical Director of Initiatives-Cœur.
The boat stops, the mission continues
Violette had set herself a goal: to help save 20 children during this Route du Rhum race. To date, the mobilization has already made it possible to save 14. And even if the race stops, the solidarity continues! The goal of saving 20 children remains more relevant than ever.
To achieve this, the project's sponsors, Les Chocolats du Cœur.fr and K-LINE, are donating €1 to Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque for each new subscriber to Initiatives-Cœur's social media accounts. They are also matching public donations made to the online fundraising campaign.
Touched by the warm welcome and numerous messages of support received in Roscoff and Lorient, the team will now focus on restoring the boat and will share the various stages of this project. The 2027 program will be announced as soon as it is finalized, with the 2028 Vendée Globe as the ultimate goal.