Maxime Sorel the skipper of V and B - Monbana - Mayenne has taken the tough decision to retire from the Vendée Globe this Friday at midday. Since the second day, his ankle had been badly swollen following a shock to sustained when he was trying to repair his hook and mainsail track problems.

His mainsail problem is considered "irreparable solo especially with him having so much difficulty putting his foot on the deck. Sorel was sheltered in the lee of Madeira last night. He will now prioritise having X-rays to make a medical diagnosis as quickly as possible. After five days of racing on this tenth Vendée Globe this is the first retirement.

Maxime wanted to react and explain:

"My ankle has been seriously damaged for four days. It has only swelled over time and through the manoeuvres I have carried out on board, particularly to try to resolve my major mainsail hook issues. I am suffering to the point of having difficulty moving on board my boat. Now, even when resting, I have a lot of pain, I cannot continue to sail in complete safety in this state. Last night, off Madeira, I climbed my mast. I managed, not without difficulty, to lower my mainsail. I noticed that the hook was indeed broken. We had every reason to be worried. At the same time, the mainsail track is seriously damaged. With or without my pain, it is impossible to change sections of this mainsail track three metres high. It is a construction site job. I will let you imagine my physical and mental suffering. I am abandoning my second Vendée Globe! It took four years of preparation with my team to get to this point. However, everything was magical from start to finish but I feel like nothing has been normal since my departure on Sunday. If we knew, before setting off on the Vendée Globe what was going to happen, we would never go back. The positive, despite the great frustration, is that it will boost me for the future. I gave everything I could but this ankle and this mainsail are not giving me the chance this time to write my sporting and adventurous story that I love deep down."