Another missing yacht overdue France

[lenseman]

Ships off Ireland's south and west coasts have been asked by the French coastguard to keep a lookout for a yachtsman who has gone missing on a transatlantic voyage.

In a report that has echoes of missing yacht The Golden Eagle - which sailed into Kerry after an Atlantic crossing from Bermuda many days after schedule - RTE News says that the 12-metre yacht La Galatee left French Guiana on 5 August sailing for St Malo in France, but the French coastguard has lost contact with the vessel.

No air and sea searches are being considered at this time, but Irish Guard stations are broadcasting alerts and requests for sightings of the yacht.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0927/lagalatee.html

http://afloat.ie/safety/coastguard/

http://afloat.ie/resources/organisations/irish-coast-guard/

http://afloat.ie/safety/coastguard/item/16990-irish-vessels-asked-to-keep-lookout-for-missing-yacht/

Also first reported at 0959Z 26 SEPT 2011:

NORTH ATLANTIC.
FRENCH GUYANA TO FRANCE.
12 METER S/V LA GALATEE, WHITE HULL, ONE PERSON
ON BOARD, OVERDUE CAYENNE (04-55N 052-19W)
TO SAINT MALO (48-38N 002-00W). VESSELS IN
VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT,
ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC GRIS NEZ,
TELEX: 42130680, PHONE: 333 2187 2187,
FAX: 333 2187 7855.

(260959Z SEP 2011)

 

[lenseman]

Not looking good. Just received this information:

NORTH ATLANTIC.

12 METER DERELICT S/V LA GALATEE, WHITE AND ORANGE HULL, ADRIFT VICINITY 38-21N 038-00W.

Report dated: 2202Z on 28 SEP 2011

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Not looking good. Just received this information:

NORTH ATLANTIC.

12 METER DERELICT S/V LA GALATEE, WHITE AND ORANGE HULL, ADRIFT VICINITY 38-21N 038-00W.

Report dated: 2202Z on 28 SEP 2011

always sad when somebody loses their life at sea, but I must admit it would be a preference of mine to go doing something I enjoy.

 

[Seajet]

Hopefully there's a liferaft, so all chances are not lost ?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Hopefully there's a liferaft, so all chances are not lost ?

If there is it seems to reinforce the adage that you stick with the boat until you can step up into the raft.

 

[Roberto]

from a French forum, the boat was singlehanded, no epirb, a vhf as communication means; no mention of the presence of a liferaft onboard

 

[TQA]

I thought that French sailors were required to have certain safety equipement before venturing offshoe including a liferaft. N'est ce pas?

 

[Roberto]

I thought that French sailors were required to have certain safety equipement before venturing offshoe including a liferaft. N'est ce pas?

Oui :smile:

Actually, it is required for anyone sailing more than just 6 miles offshore

 

[westernman]

In France, did you know that if you want to go more than two miles from the beach in your Hobie cat you need an anchor of all things.

 

[Roberto]

Good news

The French MRCC informed the skipper has been rescued a few hours ago.
While 300nm west of the Açores, he sent a Mayday to a fishing boat nearby:FV Punta do Xuncos rescued the skipper, then got in touch with the CROSS giving these infos:
. little or no wind since the departure, sometimes weak contrary winds
. broken autopilot
. broken wind steering
. no more fuel on board
. skipper exhausted as he had to steer 24/24, decided to abandon the boat






http://www.hisse-et-oh.com/forums/navigation/messages/1041575-avis-de-recherche-sur-stw

 

[rickym]

At least he is safe

 

[RichardS]

Thank goodness that he is safe.

Hopefully someone will be able to translate the full story when it emerges as all the quoted problems with the boat would also appear to apply to the liferaft. Perhaps the boat was slowly sinking?

Hopefully I never have to take to the liferaft but understanding why others did could prove to be valuable learning.

Richard

 

[armchairsailor]

Might I tentatively suggest that a reliance on autopilot alone on a s/h transat is something that one should consider avoiding? Having a backup plan in such an event would probably have saved the poor guy's bacon (and boat).

BTW, I'm not in the business of preaching - I'll never have the balls to do what he did, but it seems that preparedness and flexibility are key to successful long distance sailing.

I'm very glad he's OK.

 

[zefender]

In fairness to the skipper, his message does say his autopilot had broken AND his wind steering. So he did have a back up. But the wind steering needs wind and the autopilot power, and he'd run out of fuel.

 

[Sybarite]

In France, did you know that if you want to go more than two miles from the beach in your Hobie cat you need an anchor of all things.

However for your boat you must have EITHER a parachute-type anchor OR a normal anchor...(!!) following the rules revision a few years ago.

 

[Flying Penguin]

I freely admit I've never done a transat or equivalent, but if he was concerned about fatigue but otherwise ok (i.e. becalmed with enough food but only enough fuel to berth at the other end) surely going below for a nap would be a preferable alternative to abandonment, even if by fishing vessel? Chances of getting hit presumably are small and by the sounds of it there wouldn't have been too much weather to content with, so the limits of lying ahull in a storm wouldn't come into it.

 

[JomsViking]

I freely admit I've never done a transat or equivalent, but if he was concerned about fatigue but otherwise ok (i.e. becalmed with enough food but only enough fuel to berth at the other end) surely going below for a nap would be a preferable alternative to abandonment, even if by fishing vessel? Chances of getting hit presumably are small and by the sounds of it there wouldn't have been too much weather to content with, so the limits of lying ahull in a storm wouldn't come into it.

+1

As long as there's drinking water (or wine, he's French afterall)

Strange story - Hopefully further information will be provided later?

 

[Conachair]

The French MRCC informed the skipper has been rescued a few hours ago.
While 300nm west of the Açores, he sent a Mayday to a fishing boat nearby:FV Punta do Xuncos rescued the skipper, then got in touch with the CROSS giving these infos:
. little or no wind since the departure, sometimes weak contrary winds
. broken autopilot
. broken wind steering
. no more fuel on board
. skipper exhausted as he had to steer 24/24, decided to abandon the boat

http://www.hisse-et-oh.com/forums/navigation/messages/1041575-avis-de-recherche-sur-stw

Glad he's safe. Wonder how much of the decision to leave the boat was psychological. Well, all of it at the end of the day. But no wind can be much worse than lots of wind in many ways. I was pretty much becalmed all the way up to bermuda doing the similar route solo last year, it really gets to you after a couple of weeks. And that was with fuel but hand steering when motoring. Also be interesting to know his route,great current up to carib from Suriname, if he tired rhum line then he could have been stuck in the high for weeks on end. Do your head in that would.

 

[Koeketiene]

The French MRCC informed the skipper has been rescued a few hours ago.
While 300nm west of the Açores, he sent a Mayday to a fishing boat nearby:FV Punta do Xuncos rescued the skipper, then got in touch with the CROSS giving these infos:
. little or no wind since the departure, sometimes weak contrary winds
. broken autopilot
. broken wind steering
. no more fuel on board
. skipper exhausted as he had to steer 24/24, decided to abandon the boat

A happy ending, of sorts.
No loss of life.

Some cause for concern:

A bord en solo se trouve le skipper : LE CALVEZ Pierre peu expérimenté.

On board is the solo skipper: LE CALVEZ Pierre inexperienced.

You've got to admire the balls of the guy in these H&S days, but it shows there's only a fine line between foolishness and bravery.

 

[Conachair]

A happy ending, of sorts.
No loss of life.

Some cause for concern:



On board is the solo skipper: LE CALVEZ Pierre inexperienced.

You've got to admire the balls of the guy in these H&S days, but it shows there's only a fine line between foolishness and bravery.

They are up for it , the French. If you meet a beaten up bath tub down in Senegal or French Guyana, chances are it will be from there. You never hear of all the ones that make it.
I wonder what the guy's mental health was like in the end, leaving your boat when it's not sinking is a very big thing, I strongly suspect he was majorly losing the plot stuck out there for so long. Presumably he got there in the first place, a lot of the French have their own little route, down to Senegal then Brazil and up to French Guyana then Martinique, he came up from Suriname so sounds like he might have been along there. Cape verde - Brazil is only couple of weeks in the trades, big diff from north atlantic. Not a great time of year to be drifting around those parts either.