U.S.-Flagged Boxship Rescues Skipper of Capsized Racing Yacht

The high-octane Route du Rhum singlehanded yacht race is off to a high-risk start, and merchant shipping has been providing rescue assistance. On Monday, a Maersk container ship rescued the skipper of a racing yacht that capsized off Ireland; a second yacht's skipper is currently awaiting rescue after capsizing Tuesday off the Azores. Both of the affected yachts are purebred racing trimarans, with abundant sail area and minimal displacement.

On Monday afternoon, well-known French offshore racing skipper Francis Joyon was operating the "vintage" trimaran Océans at a position off Ireland's southwestern coast, en route from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe. Joyon was in the lead for his class when his vessel suffered a capsizing. He was uninjured and called for a rescue, and CROSS Jobourg and HM Coastguard helped coordinate a response. The U.S.-flagged boxship Maersk Columbus arrived shortly, and Joyon was aboard and safe by about 2300 hours. The boxship will deliver him to Ireland, according to the race's organizers.

Océans is a 60-foot ORMA class trimaran, a design built for speed. These vessels were laid down in the 1990s and 2000s with an eye to light weight and maximum power, and some hulls leveraged novel, then-new advancements in high tech materials. In the pounding environment of offshore racing, they developed a reputation for casualties. In the 2002 season of the Route du Rhum, 24 years ago, seven of these trimarans sustained serious structural damage and five capsized, according to Yachting World.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →