The loss of the Island Cruising Club yacht “Nicolette” in August 1970

[Kukri]

The collision between Boris Herrmann’s IMOCA and an unknown fishing vessel reminded me of something from when I was starting sailing. It was very big news at the time, but Google only turned up the position of the wreck and this paragraph in the official history of the Island Cruising Club:

“The Club reached a zenith in its fortunes with Hoshi in August 1970, followed at the end of the month by a disaster in the Bay of Biscay in an extraordinary and not easily explicable accident.

“On the night of August 26th Nicolette was proceeding peacefully off Sables d’Olonne when a French trawler, which had been in sight for some time, passed clear ahead. Suddenly the trawler did a more than 180 degree turn and rammed Nicolette in way of the main hatch. The yacht sank in twenty seconds and three of the watch below went to the bottom with her.”

Does anyone else remember this? And can anyone say what the outcome of any investigation (if there was one) was?

 

[Chae_73]

Trying to find the right emoji for this sad remembrance and failing. But an interesting post, so thank you for that.

 

[James_Calvert]

I know of the event, which was well reported at the time, probably in Yachting Monthly along with local papers such as the Kingsbridge / Salcombe Gazette and the Western Morning News.

Any particular reason for asking?

 

[Kukri]

I was reminded of it by the trivial collision between a Vendée Globe competitor and a fishing vessel, because it happened off Les Sables d’Olonne.

As you say, it was well reported at the time and I must have read about it in the “Yachting Monthly”, which was edited in those days by JD Sleightholme. I would not have appreciated, at the age I was then, that JDS was himself a former ICC skipper.

I just wondered whether the reason for the trawler’s extraordinary behaviour was ever established.

 

[Supine Being]

I've not been able to uncover much by searching in French - I was hoping for an archived report. There's this link, but the site seems to be down. The google description names the other boat as Le Temps des Cerises:

26/08/1970 Nicolette [+1970] wreck. Bateau école anglais du club Island-Guising , heurté par un chalutier sablais, patron Henri Ridon (Le Temps des Cerises)

 

[Serin]

The collision between Boris Herrmann’s IMOCA and an unknown fishing vessel reminded me of something from when I was starting sailing. It was very big news at the time, but Google only turned up the position of the wreck and this paragraph in the official history of the Island Cruising Club:

“The Club reached a zenith in its fortunes with Hoshi in August 1970, followed at the end of the month by a disaster in the Bay of Biscay in an extraordinary and not easily explicable accident.

“On the night of August 26th Nicolette was proceeding peacefully off Sables d’Olonne when a French trawler, which had been in sight for some time, passed clear ahead. Suddenly the trawler did a more than 180 degree turn and rammed Nicolette in way of the main hatch. The yacht sank in twenty seconds and three of the watch below went to the bottom with her.”

Does anyone else remember this? And can anyone say what the outcome of any investigation (if there was one) was?

Hello Kukri

I knew the Nicolette well. Was up in her rigging the Easter before this incident, renewing ratlines. Also knew her skipper, Bill Purser and most of the people on board. I also remember when I first heard of the tragedy - alone on watch coming down the North Sea from the Baltic. Switched on the radio for the midnight forecast and it was reported on the news summary. I could hardly believe it. I heard the details from Bill, who survived.

The Nicolette was deliberately rammed amidships by the fishing boat. She was under power but with all sail set. They slowed down a little to let the fisherman pass ahead. In fact the Nicolette was technically the stand on vessel, but that was not something to push with French fishermen. She went to the bottom in 30 seconds and was eventually found (but not recovered) sitting upright on the bottom, still with sails set.

Six people were on deck and three asleep below, as the watch was changing. One person jumped on to the fishing boat but was unable to persuade the skipper to turn back for survivors for at least half and hour. However, the liferaft popped up the and five survivors were able to get on board. The three people below were found drowned in their bunks. They never had a chance.

I believe this fisherman was a known psychopathic character. I believe he may have been drunk. Even the other fishermen ashore shook their heads on hearing his name. After a long period of investigation he was eventually found guilty of murder.

That event is something I shall never forget.

Janet aka Serin.

 

[Kukri]

Thank you very much. It’s worse than I thought.

 

[DownWest]

That was horrible.

Slight drift, but Serin might know. A local French friend and keen sailor mentioned his aunt was the first female commodore of the ICC. This was a while back and I don't recall if he gave me her name. He is in Argentina at the mo, so a bit far to ask now..

 

[dom]

Hello Kukri

I knew the Nicolette well. Was up in her rigging the Easter before this incident, renewing ratlines. Also knew her skipper, Bill Purser and most of the people on board. I also remember when I first heard of the tragedy - alone on watch coming down the North Sea from the Baltic. Switched on the radio for the midnight forecast and it was reported on the news summary. I could hardly believe it. I heard the details from Bill, who survived.

The Nicolette was deliberately rammed amidships by the fishing boat. She was under power but with all sail set. They slowed down a little to let the fisherman pass ahead. In fact the Nicolette was technically the stand on vessel, but that was not something to push with French fishermen. She went to the bottom in 30 seconds and was eventually found (but not recovered) sitting upright on the bottom, still with sails set.

Six people were on deck and three asleep below, as the watch was changing. One person jumped on to the fishing boat but was unable to persuade the skipper to turn back for survivors for at least half and hour. However, the liferaft popped up the and five survivors were able to get on board. The three people below were found drowned in their bunks. They never had a chance.

I believe this fisherman was a known psychopathic character. I believe he may have been drunk. Even the other fishermen ashore shook their heads on hearing his name. After a long period of investigation he was eventually found guilty of murder.

That event is something I shall never forget.

Janet aka Serin.

Wow, cant think of anything else to say

.......thank you so much for sharing Serin,

An unforgettable and deeply chilling post.

 

[JonA]

Wow, cant think of anything else to say

.......thank you so much for sharing Serin,

An unforgettable and deeply chilling post.

Hello Kukri

I knew the Nicolette well. Was up in her rigging the Easter before this incident, renewing ratlines. Also knew her skipper, Bill Purser and most of the people on board. I also remember when I first heard of the tragedy - alone on watch coming down the North Sea from the Baltic. Switched on the radio for the midnight forecast and it was reported on the news summary. I could hardly believe it. I heard the details from Bill, who survived.

The Nicolette was deliberately rammed amidships by the fishing boat. She was under power but with all sail set. They slowed down a little to let the fisherman pass ahead. In fact the Nicolette was technically the stand on vessel, but that was not something to push with French fishermen. She went to the bottom in 30 seconds and was eventually found (but not recovered) sitting upright on the bottom, still with sails set.

Six people were on deck and three asleep below, as the watch was changing. One person jumped on to the fishing boat but was unable to persuade the skipper to turn back for survivors for at least half and hour. However, the liferaft popped up the and five survivors were able to get on board. The three people below were found drowned in their bunks. They never had a chance.

I believe this fisherman was a known psychopathic character. I believe he may have been drunk. Even the other fishermen ashore shook their heads on hearing his name. After a long period of investigation he was eventually found guilty of murder.

That event is something I shall never forget.

Janet aka Serin.

 

[JonA]

The trawler crew were taken to court a long time later. I do not remember what happened to the trawler skipper and crew but thought they did not get much of a sentence (perhaps six months).

It was change of watch so there were 5 on deck and four below deck when Nicollete was rammed. As cruise cook I was asleep in my bunk and came up through the forehatch as the boat went down.I dos not know why I had to get up on deck but knew something was wrong.The crew said they were shouting and put the helm hard over - all of which would have brought me up on deck. The other three who were below decks only one was found in his bunk, one was washed out of the boat and the third was badly injured and caught in the boat, I understand.

The person who clung to the fishing boat was french speaking Swiss man. The liferaft luckily broke free (although it was not designed to) and came to the surface where the five survivors in the water somehow got onto it, although the canopy did not inflate.

The survivors were picked up from the liferaft by the "Le Temps de Cerise" and then stayed on board while they took part in the air sea search. The trawler crew gave us coffee and probably food and then took us back to les Sable D'orlonnes, providing a pair of mules and jumper for me the cruise cook who was bare footed and only wearing jeans and a T shirt (sleeping- dressed as always at sea) .

The last I saw, as I broke the surface, was her burgee and perhaps 6ft of Nicolette’s mast slide into the water lit by the moonlight. It was a calm sea. I did not realise that the trawler which seemed a long way off was the reason for my predicament until told by the other survivors.

I cannot believe it is 50 years since I was so lucky not to have lost my life that night, the only survivor who was below deck when she was rammed.

Fran

 

[Chae_73]

Amazing and very chilling story, thank you for sharing.

 

[Kukri]

The trawler crew were taken to court a long time later. I do not remember what happened to the trawler skipper and crew but thought they did not get much of a sentence (perhaps six months).

It was change of watch so there were 5 on deck and four below deck when Nicollete was rammed. As cruise cook I was asleep in my bunk and came up through the forehatch as the boat went down.I dos not know why I had to get up on deck but knew something was wrong.The crew said they were shouting and put the helm hard over - all of which would have brought me up on deck. The other three who were below decks only one was found in his bunk, one was washed out of the boat and the third was badly injured and caught in the boat, I understand.

The person who clung to the fishing boat was french speaking Swiss man. The liferaft luckily broke free (although it was not designed to) and came to the surface where the five survivors in the water somehow got onto it, although the canopy did not inflate.

The survivors were picked up from the liferaft by the "Le Temps de Cerise" and then stayed on board while they took part in the air sea search. The trawler crew gave us coffee and probably food and then took us back to les Sable D'orlonnes, providing a pair of mules and jumper for me the cruise cook who was bare footed and only wearing jeans and a T shirt (sleeping- dressed as always at sea) .

The last I saw, as I broke the surface, was her burgee and perhaps 6ft of Nicolette’s mast slide into the water lit by the moonlight. It was a calm sea. I did not realise that the trawler which seemed a long way off was the reason for my predicament until told by the other survivors.

I cannot believe it is 50 years since I was so lucky not to have lost my life that night, the only survivor who was below deck when she was rammed.

Fran

Thank you very much for giving us that terrifying first hand account.

 

[Mark-1]

I was astonished that we got Serin's response, but @JonA 's is astounding.

@JonA does your recollection match Serin's, was it an intentional act by the Trawler Skipper? If not was there any explanation for the maneover from the Trawler?

Thanks to both for your excellent accounts. I wonder if YM could turn JonA's post into an article, it certainly merits it.

 

[harry potter]

The collision between Boris Herrmann’s IMOCA and an unknown fishing vessel reminded me of something from when I was starting sailing. It was very big news at the time, but Google only turned up the position of the wreck and this paragraph in the official history of the Island Cruising Club:

“The Club reached a zenith in its fortunes with Hoshi in August 1970, followed at the end of the month by a disaster in the Bay of Biscay in an extraordinary and not easily explicable accident.

“On the night of August 26th Nicolette was proceeding peacefully off Sables d’Olonne when a French trawler, which had been in sight for some time, passed clear ahead. Suddenly the trawler did a more than 180 degree turn and rammed Nicolette in way of the main hatch. The yacht sank in twenty seconds and three of the watch below went to the bottom with her.”

Does anyone else remember this? And can anyone say what the outcome of any investigation (if there was one) was?

Je Crois. On the other hand, cherchez- vous le rendez'vous!

 

[JonA]

I was astonished that we got Serin's response, but @JonA 's is astounding.

@JonA does your recollection match Serin's, was it an intentional act by the Trawler Skipper? If not was there any explanation for the maneover from the Trawler?

Thanks to both for your excellent accounts. I wonder if YM could turn JonA's post into an article, it certainly merits it.

I can only say what I remember and what I was told. It was a dark warm august night, calm sea and not much wind. 50 years ago there were very few boats on that part of the sea. It was around midnight but I am sure the Mayday was sent after midnight so the incident is dated 26th August. As I understand it the trawler and Nicolette were passing when the trawler suddenly did a sharp turn for no reason. She was not trawling. Le Temps de Cerise hit Nicolette about amidships pushing her, as I understand, under the water. (knocking out a section the size of a door). As I came up the focsle ladder I did not understand what had happened and thought that I had been hit by a wave (starting small reaching me waist high) so I hung onto the boat. The boats must have separated and Nicolette came up to the surface (so I managed to get another breath) but the hatches were open so Nicolette went down very quickly. At some point I let go of the boat and “just thought that I would drown having let go of the boat.” (My brain was whirring like a fruit machine trying to find the reason for my predicament.) Thinking about it now the sails must have obscured any view of the trawler. Just after I got to the surface the liferaft came up still inflating. I have no idea how long it took for the trawler to come back but it can’t have been that long because I didn’t want to go under the water in the collapsed canopy and find the flares in the liferaft, and didn’t feel I had to make myself go under water. Obviously we were very lucky we had a french speaker clinging to the Trawler, who could tell the Trawler what they had hit. The trawler must have been motoring quite fast as she seemed a long way away when I first saw her, but it was so calm I could hear shouting in French – I certainly heard “Au secours” from our french speaking crew member clinging to the trawler. Without him we might have had a very long time in the liferaft and I might have had to put my head under the water in the canopy to find what was there. The fact that the liferaft came up was a very important part in not loosing any more of us.
The trawler crew looked after us, and noticed I had bare feet and needed a jumper. There was no ill feeling between us and the crew as we all stayed on board for the air sea search. We declined to go on the french rescue boat. They took us back to les Sables D,orlonnes where the local sailing school looked after us and gave us a bunk to sleep on.

I, and the others were interviewed by the appropriate British maritime authority at the time. But they said (if I remember correctly) it was up to the French authorities as we were in French waters.

The cause of the disaster -Drink, was and has always been mentioned , but I have never heard a satisfactory explanation for the sudden turn.

Regarding what happened to the trawler crew- such different memories (of those who should know) from “disappointment in that the trawler skipper, although asleep at the time only had his ticket suspended for 6 months”. To what Janet aka Serin remembers. I think it was a long time after the event that it was reported so needs a newspaper search. Perhaps after lockdown a visit to the Kingsbridge Cookworthy museum to research the local paper is in order.

Thank you for reminding me about this- now I must write it to go with the photo of Nicolette for the grandchildren.
Fran

 

[Kukri]

Thank you, Fran.

 

[Mark-1]

Thankyou, @JonA , you should certainly write the story for the Grandchildren, IMHO. (Sounds like you might have a few other corkers as well!) Thanks for such a clear account, utterly absent of hyperbole.

 

[DownWest]

Thank you Fran
I don't know in the current circumstances, but I will see if i can look in the arquives of Sud Ouest, our local paper and see what they reported, there is a companion paper that covers Brittany.
DW

 

[Frogmogman]

Thank you Fran, and thank you Janet for sharing your experience and knowledge of what was a horrendous incident.

I’ll have a look too and see if I can find anything further about the outcome in French archives.