On December 7, a CMA CGM research and supply vessel rescued Kito de Pavant, the 55 years old French skipper of Bastide-Otio, who suffered damage to his keel when racing in the remote South Indian Ocean while racing in the Vendee Globe solo round the world race.
He was successfully recovered from his stricken yacht around 0100hrs TU this morning and taken aboard the research and supply ship Marion Dufresne II approximately 110 miles north of the Crozet Islands. The solo skipper was immediately assessed by the ship’s doctor. De Pavant is uninjured but is extremely tired and disappointed.
The vessel which supplies the French territories in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic was on a mission from Reunion Island touring around the southern islands. Captain Dudouit was informed of the situation by the Vendée Globe Race Directors in collaboration with the MRCC and rescue centre at Gris-Nez. Around 110 miles north of Kito de Pavant’s position, the Marion Dufresne accelerated to reach the monohull as quickly as possible, as her keel threatened to drop off at any moment endangering the life of the skipper.
As night fell in the area, the vessel reached Bastide-Otio at around 1530 UTC and established radio contact with Kito de Pavant, who described the situation, with winds still blowing at around thirty knots and on very rough seas.
Captain Dudouit (Marion Dufresne II): “We picked up Kito de Pavant with our rigid inflatable this morning, in spite of the weather remaining fairly rough with force 6-7 winds and huge waves. We were able to launch the inflatable and took him off his boat. We were on a supply mission in the southern islands, which is our usual job in December. We left Reunion Island on 2nd December.”
“The MRCC tried to contact me, but could not get through and so it was via the safety centre in Marseille that we got into contact at around 0900 UTC on Tuesday. At that point we were around 110 miles north of the boat’s position. We moved to maximum speed. In spite of the weather conditions, it took us less time than forecast to get into contact with the skipper. We reached the area at around 1530 UTC, as night was falling.”
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Source: Vendée Globe
