Defending Route du Rhum champion drops out after foil damage

Nov 3 - Defending Route du Rhum champion Charles Caudrelier has dropped out of the transatlantic yacht race two days after setting off following foil damage to his vessel, organisers said on Tuesday.

• The race had started on Sunday in France's Saint-Malo and will finish at Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe but Caudrelier's Maxi Edmond de Rothschild sustained damage and is now returning to France

• "Today, the reigning Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe champion, having suffered a major breakdown on the port foil of the 32-meter giant, is forced to turn back to its technical base in Lorient," organisers said in a statement

• Caudrelier, 52, won the 2022 edition on his first attempt at the helm of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 17, setting a record of 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds REUTERS