Route du Rhum - Sodebo and Maître Jacques damaged overnight

by Marie Le Berrigaud-Perochon on 4 Nov 2014 This Sunday evening at 2325hrs CET (2225hrs UTC) CROSS Corsen received alert signals from both beacons on the Class 40 Team Sabrosa SBR 40 of Francois Angoulvant which was racing in La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. Race Direction tried to contact the skipper by means of various satellite phone links without success.

Simultaneously the CROSS scrambled an NH90 SAR helicopter from 33F Squadron and the Ploumanach SNS 098 lifeboat was sent to the area.

At 0040hrs CET (2340hrs UTC) 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.

Sunday, November 2 at 2330hrs CET (2230 UTC) CROSS informed the race management of La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe that the 31m Ultime trimaran Sodebo Ultime had collided with a cargo ship and its solo skipper Thomas Coville was unharmed. The 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 has lost the front section of the starboard float back to the crossbeam. The middle hull also seems to have been damaged. Sodebo Ultime was heading towards the port of Roscoff reaching under reduced sail, working on the port hull. Coville was making 12kts and as he approaches the Brittany coast the seas should east with the wind dropping slightly. He is due to arrive in Roscoff later this early morning and his shore crew are travelling there.

Around 2300hrs CET (2200hrs UTC) the starboard float broke of the Multi50 Maitre Jacques which was lying in fourth place in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. Solo skipper Loîc Féquet is safe aboard. He was sailing close to the coast preparing to pass the tip of Brittany. He is not in any immediate danger but Maitre Jacques cannot be manoeuvred and he is awaiting a tow to the nearest port, the tug should be in the area around 0200hrs CET.

Loîc Féquet, skipper of the Multi 50 Maitre Jacques reported: '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 has secured his boat. He is about seven miles (13 km) from the coast and reported to be drifting northwards at two knots. The skipper is inside the boat awaiting Event website