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Tuesday 1 December 2020
Several competitors came to help Kevin Escoffier overnight at the Vendée Globe: the Frenchman was shipwrecked 550 nautical miles from Cape Town. But the huge waves initially prevent the rescue of the crashed sailor, but later they succeed.
After Frenchman Kevin Escoffier had to leave his ship after an emergency call to the Vendée Globe, Hamburg’s Boris Herrmann is also expected to intervene in the rescue operation. As the organizers announced on Monday evening, Herrmann and Yannick Bestaven (France) had been invited to travel to the Escoffier area they needed to provide support. But it is no longer necessary: Escoffier was saved that night.
Escoffier, who had by then finished third in the sailing regatta, had sent an SOS signal about 550 nautical miles from Cape Town and had reported water infiltration on board to his team. The Coast Guard then contacted Jean le Cam as the next pursuer. “Jean le Cam arrived in the area and saw Kevin in his life raft,” organizers said. Le Cam drove the engine and prepared to retrieve Escoffier.
As announced by the organizers on the website, Le Cam initially lost eye contact due to difficult conditions and darkness. The range of Escoffier’s radio signals is limited due to heavy seas, the regatta management said. As a result, the waves at the crash site were five meters high, the wind between 20 and 25 knots. On Tuesday morning, the message finally arrived: “He’s on board with Jean!” Escoffier was seen smiling in his survival suit during a video broadcast.
Those involved in the rescue can continue the ride after the rescue operation. Boris Herrmann from Hamburg is currently in eighth place. The journey on the Vendée Globe is about 45,000 kilometers long, around the world, without stops and without assistance.
Favorite failed due to technical problems
British Alex Thomson, considered one of the favorites, had already given up on circumnavigation. After technical problems and days of repairs in the past week, a broken rudder made further participation impossible. Unlike other participants like the Hamburger Herrmann, Thomson does not have a replacement helm on board.
The Thomson team announced the end on Saturday evening: “Unfortunately a repair is not possible. We therefore accept that this is the end of the race for us. Me, my team and our partners are deeply disappointed.” At the time it was about 1,800 nautical miles from Cape Town, which he plans to reach on his own in about seven days.
The technical team of the 46-year-old from Gosport will receive his skipper there. “This is totally sad and unfair,” said Thomson’s friend Boris Herrmann, who was eighth at sea at the start of day 21. “I would have liked him to win.”
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