PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Violette Dorange is facing the first major setback of her young sailing career as she risks a complaint following a collision withRomain Pilliard in the 13th Route du Rhum.
The contact between the 25-year-old sailor, who became the youngest competitor to finish theVendee Globe in 2025, and Pilliard occurred on Sunday, shortly after the start from Saint-Malo, northwestern France of the transatlantic race toPointe-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.
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron, editing by Ed Osmond)
