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NEWS
Rescues in Route du Rhum
French sailing daredevils in their short-handed flying machinesThe French have an affinity for short-handed sailing, derring-do and ocean adventure, which often manifests itself into misadventure. Such is the edge-of-your seat sailing in the 2014 Route du Rhum, the transatlantic single-handed race that takes places every four years. Take the last 16 hours!
After 91 sailors set sail from Brittany in France for Guadeloupe in the French West Indies — a distance of 4500 miles covered in a race record 7d, 17h and 19m —throngs of onlookers gathered in expectation. They haven't been disappointed, with high drama besetting the famous race. And that is precisely why the Route du Rhum is so intoxicating.
On Sunday, November 2 at 2330hrs, the 31m Ultime trimaran Sodebo Ultim' collided with a cargo ship. Solo skipper Thomas Coville was unharmed and the giant trimaran was sailing under three reefs and ORC, progressing at a speed of 15-18 knots in gusty winds with 30 knots of wind from the SW.
In the collision, the trimaran lost the front section of the starboard float back to the crossbeam. The middle hull also seemed to be damaged. Sodebo Ultim' was heading towards the port of Roscoff reaching under reduced sail, working on the port hull.
Coville was making 12 knots and as he approached the Brittany coast, where the seas should east with the wind dropping slightly. He was due to arrive in Roscoff to effect repairs.
Solo skipper Loïc Féquet wasn’t so lucky in the Multi 50 Class. The starboard float broke off his Multi50 Maitre Jacques. which was lying in fourth place at the time. He was sailing close to the coast, preparing to pass the tip of Brittany, and was not in any immediate danger. But Maitre Jacques cannot be manoeuvred and was awaiting a tow to the nearest port.
"There were 25 to 28 knots and big seas, but I was not attacking. In fact, I was under double-reefed main and staysail. I did not hit anything. It broke in exactly the same place as last year. The float is new," Féquet said.
Worse, François Angoulvant had to be airlifted off his Class 40 Team Sabrosa SBR40 after alert signals from his beacons were activated and Race Direction failed to establish satellite phone comms.
A NH90 SAR helicopter was scrambled from 33F Squadron and the Ploumanach SNS 098 lifeboat was sent to the area. Contact with the overturned hull of the boat was made and the skipper was safely lifted off. He was immediately taken to hospital in Brest for medical examination.
And in a more worrying update, sistership of Angoulvant's boat, another of the new Sabrosa Mk II Class 40s, that of Marc Lepesqueux, also dropped its keel in very similar conditions. Fortunately Lepesqueux managed to fill the ballast tanks, drop sails and sail downwind to Guernsey. Clearly the designers and builders will be worried about these two failures
Doubtless by the time you read this more drama will have unfolded in the 2014 Route du Rhum, one of the biggest and most keenly watched sailing spectacles in Europe. See http://www.routedurhum.com.
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Written byBoatsales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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