A skipper died on the Transat Cap Martinique. This is Philippe Benoiton, 63, veterinarian in Beaucouzé (49), whose body was recovered lifeless this Wednesday. He was sailing solo on his JPK 9.60 when his track was lost off the Spanish coast, in the Cape Finisterre area.
From 3 a.m. this Wednesday, the race management was no longer able to contact Philippe Benoiton and alerted the MRCC Finisterre to try to establish contact by VHF. The race director, François Seruzier, was able to establish that the sailboat was moving slowly in the middle of the night and that it had notably turned around at 5:49 a.m.
At the request of the race management, competitors Yann Gindre and Michel Foucart aboard “L’Opale – To Each His Everest” were diverted to try to come to the aid of the solo skipper. Arriving in the area at 7:40 a.m., they were unable to establish any contact with Philippe Benoiton. The sea conditions, 20 knots of wind, waves of around 2 meters, did not allow them to board.
Maritime and air rescue operations were launched by the Spanish coast guard, who once on site found that there was no one on board. The aerial search continued and led to this disastrous discovery.
