After Capsize Lionel Lemonchois 80 Maxi Catamaran Prince de Bretagne Is Towed to Rio

While attempting to break the Mauricienne record from Port-Louis in Brittany (France) to Port-Louis the capital of Mauritius, Lionel Lemonchois activated the distress beacon. Contact initially could not be made with Lemonchois, but teams received a call from the skipper reporting a capsize of the 80 foot maxi trimaran, but letting the team know he was safe and sound within the center hull. Lemonchois went on to say that due to sea conditions he had to cut the rigging loose. He is approximately 800 miles off the Brazilian coast, however rescue teams have been dispatched and Prine de Bretagne is due into Rio (Brazil) in the early hours of the morning. Prince de Bretagne was almost directly off Rio when the capsize occured, a lucky coincidence and Lemonchois reported that the wind was a 16 — 18 knot South-Easter. A large rescue operation is now underway by the Lemonchois’ racing team, however the tug that has been dispatched to tow the trimaran will not make contact with them for another 5 days. Lionel has confirmed however that he has access to food and water, and the life-raft if he were to need it. Apparantly heavy rain has been hammering the capsized trimaran. A second team is waiting on the ground in Rio to get to work on the boat once they arrive.
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