During the 5400 nm doublehaned Transat Jacques Vabre from France to Brazil, Lionel Lemonchois and Roland Jourdain capsized their 24-metre trimaran Prince de Bretagne just after 1900hrs UTC on October 26, one day after the race started in Le Havre.

The incident occurred 140 miles NW of La Coruna (Spain), and the duo resisted the option of activating their distress beacon and seeking outside assistance for as long as possible. But with 30kts winds and four metres waves on the afternoon of October 27, and the prospect of 40kts on the next day, they triggered their beacon at around 1520hrs UTC.

Following their helicopter evacuation at 1700hrs UTC (Tues, Oct 27), it was time to focus on retrieving the boat. That began when the team returned to the boat on Saturday (Oct 31), where they worked through Sunday to prepare for the tow. With the removal of gear and rig, the towing straps were secured near the central hull, and a 3-knot course was set that evening for Lorient, France.

Taking advantage of good weather, they arrived November 5th.

Transat Jacques Vabre. Prince de Bretagne de… by Letelegramme

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