LES SABLES D’OLONNE, France (AP) — Polish skipper Zbigniew Gutkowski has dropped out of the Vendee Globe solo around-the-world yacht race, becoming the sixth of 20 participating skippers to abandon the grueling event.
Two days after Frenchman Jeremie Beyou pulled out because of a broken keel, Gutkowski quit Wednesday because of problems with the autopilot on his ENERGA yacht.
He said “being brave is not only about fighting, it is also about knowing where to stop.”
British skipper Samantha Davies and Frenchmen Louis Burton, Kito de Pavant and Marc Guillemot have all dropped out.
