two dead upon arrival in the capsizing of a follower boat – Liberation

Shortly before crossing the finish line of the transatlantic sailing race, in the middle of the night in Guadeloupe, a boat following the sailboat of the winner Charles Caudrelier overturned with a dozen passengers on board.

A drama that mourns the performance of the French navigator. This Wednesday, at dawn, shortly before crossing the finish line, many boats and motorboats followed Charles Caudrelier’s sailboat. They are called “follower boats”. The image is ordinary for sailing enthusiasts. Except that this Wednesday, while the arrival took place in the middle of the night in Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe, one of the boats turned over at sea, with at least 11 passengers on board. In the accident, two people died.

The information has been confirmed by the public prosecutor of Pointe-à-Pitre Patrick Desjardins. A judicial investigation has been opened for involuntary homicides, indicated the prosecution, stressing that “the precise assessment (was) pending”.

The prosecutor also specified that the capsized boat was chartered by the organization of the race. According to the latest information, the two people in cardio-respiratory arrest could not be revived. They were declared dead by the SAMU doctor in the early morning.

According to local media, a dozen people were on board the boat following the winner of the event Charles Caudrelier, who like all competitors must circumvent the island before crossing the finish line at Pointe-à – Clown. On France Info, the winner of the race was quick to react: “It’s a tragedy […] I’m a little in shock, the atmosphere is spoiled”he added.

Charles Caudrelier, 48, crossed the line at Pointe-à-Pitre at 5:02 a.m. local time (10:02 a.m. Paris time), after 6 days 19 hours and 47 minutes at sea, smashing the record by almost a day of the crossing held by Francis Joyon (Idec Sport) since the previous edition, in 2018 (7 days 14 hours and 21 minutes).