A Panamanian cargo ship picked up the French skipper on Wednesday afternoon, hours after Maxi Banque Populaire XI capsized northwest of the Azores. He is unhurt and on his way to the United States.
Armel Le Cléac’h was rescued on Wednesday afternoon by a Panamanian cargo ship, hours after his Ultim trimaran Maxi Banque Populaire XI capsized in the Route du Rhum about 550 nautical miles northwest of the Azores. Team Banque Populaire said he is in good health.
The team lost track of the boat before dawn. “Last night, at 5:30 a.m., we lost the boat’s position,” Erwan Steff, the director of Team Banque Populaire, said in a video released by the team on Wednesday morning. “The telemetry suggested it had capsized, which was later confirmed.”
Le Cléac’h was unhurt and sheltered inside the upturned hull while he waited for help. “We’ve heard from Armel. Everything is fine on board. He’s inside the boat, he’s dry, and he has food and water,” Steff said.
Several vessels were diverted to assist him. The rescue was coordinated by CROSS Jobourg in France and the maritime rescue coordination centre in Boston with race management. A Panamanian cargo ship was the first to reach the area, in the middle of the afternoon, and took Le Cléac’h on board.
“We’ve just spoken to Francis Le Goff on the phone. Armel is on board the cargo ship,” Sébastien Josse, the team’s sporting director, said on Wednesday evening, referring to the race director. “We stayed in contact with him all day and had a few messages that reassured us about his health. Armel is now going to arrive in the United States. We’ll organise ourselves to go and meet him. We can’t wait to see him.”
Le Cléac’h was second in the Ultim class, behind Tom Laperche on SVR Lazartigue, when the boat capsized. The cause has not been released. Team Banque Populaire said efforts are under way to recover the trimaran.
It is the second time the Route du Rhum has ended this way for Le Cléac’h. In 2018, his race stopped when Banque Populaire IX capsized near the Azores.
He is the third Ultim skipper to leave this year’s race, after defending champion Charles Caudrelier, who retired with foil damage, and Anthony Marchand, who stopped in Galway with a rudder problem.
Lou Benoist / AFP.
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