Sailing-Early Route du Rhum setback for Dorange as protest looms after crash

Violette Dorange is facing the first major ​setback of her young sailing career ​as she risks a complaint ‌following a ​collision with Romain Pilliard in the 13th Route du Rhum. The contact between the 25-year-old sailor, who became the youngest competitor ‌to finish the Vendee Globe in 2025, and Pilliard occurred on Sunday, shortly after the start from Saint-Malo, northwestern France of the transatlantic race to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe.

"I’ve informed the race ‌committee that I’m going to lodge a complaint against Initiatives Coeur," Pilliard told French sports ‌daily L'Equipe. "She's a great sailor, I don't blame her. I know her and I like her a lot, but it's a mistake."

Both boats headed for Roscoff to assess the damage, with Dorange's Initiatives-Coeur IMOCA suffering ⁠issues affecting ​its foil and hull. "I'm ⁠still in the race but it's on standby; there is major damage to my boat, it's broken," Pilliard ⁠said in an Instagram video.

Dorange will sail to her home port Lorient to repair the monohull, ​Initiatives-Coeur said in a statement. "It's a racing incident, the kind that sometimes happens," Dorange ⁠said.

"Romain had to make a manoeuvre that put Use It Again in front of Initiatives-Cœur's path. I didn't ⁠have ​enough time to adjust my settings and avoid the collision." "The impact was violent. In this condition, it's impossible to cross the Atlantic. It's a huge disappointment. I'm also thinking ⁠of Romain and his team," she added.

Ronan Deshayes, Initiatives-Coeur technical director, also told L'Equipe that ⁠the team had ⁠lodged a complaint. Dorange joined Initiatives-Coeur last year, spending her first season alongside Britain's Samantha Davies before switching to solo in 2026.

She claimed two ‌podium finishes ‌during this year's IMOCA season.