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Route du Rhum yacht capsizes
ST MALO, France -- The racing catamaran Groupama capsized on the first night of the Route du Rhum trans-Atlantic race, and was then rammed by a rival. Groupama sailor Franck Cammas was unhurt in the accident and remained on board after rescuers came to his aid. Cammas set off his distress beacon immediately and the coastguard launched a rescue operation. Fellow competitor Jean Le Cam in Bonduelle, who was following the same course as Groupama, "rammed into the upturned trimaran," organisers said. He did not suffer any injury but his yacht was damaged. The accident happened about 8pm on Sunday, in 12-15 knots when Groupama was 25 miles off Morlaix, race organisers said. Groupama, still upside-down, was being towed to Roscoff in northwest Brittany on Monday. Five yachts, including Groupama, have abandoned the race: Un Autre Regard-Ensemble pour l'UNHCR (monohull class 1), Chaleur Fioul Elan (multihull class 2), Banque Covefi (Orma multihull) and La Rage de Vivre (IMOCA monohull). The fleet of ocean racing monohulls and multihulls began the single-handed Route du Rhum from the French port of St Malo at the weekend. Over half a million visitors visited the ancient walled city of St Malo to view the fleet. The starts were staggered over two days to allow the Open 60 monohulls and the slower boats to get away safely first on Saturday, followed by the faster Orma 60 trimarans on Sunday. The opening leg of the of the Orma 60-multihull class to Cape Frehel saw a merciless duel between pre-race favourites Loick Peyron on Fujicolor and Groupama. The two trimarans raced side by side at speeds up to 20 knots, thrilling the vast spectator fleet. Peyron narrowly gained the advantage at the turning mark 15 miles after the start by just 37 seconds after Cammas made a slow tack. The 3,540 mile single-handed Route du Rhum from St Malo to Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe was originally set up in 1978 to rival the British single-handed transatlantic race from Plymouth to Rhode Island, U.S. Since 1978 the solo race has been held every four years and has seen major technical advances in the unrestricted open ocean racers, characterised by the current crop of Open 60 monohulls and ORMA 60 trimarans which are dominated by French professional sailors. There are a record number of 59 entries for the 2002 race, making it one of the most impressive and competitive fleets ever assembled with 17 Open 60-foot monohulls and 18 Orma 60-foot trimarans as well as smaller monohulls and multihulls. The fleet is dominated by the stars of the last non-stop single-handed 1999-2000 Vendee Globe around-the-world race. The early leader after 24 hours of racing was French skipper Roland Jourdain sailing Sill. Jourdain has already made up for his disappointment of third place behind Briton Ellen MacArthur in the Vendee by winning the two-handed transatlantic Jacques Vabre in 2001. Close behind Jordain is Jean Pierre Dick sailing Michel Desjoyeaux's Group Finot-designed Vendee winner PRB, now renamed Virbac. The Humphreys/Owen designed Kingfisher is in third place less than 10 miles behind Sill. This is likely to be MacArthur's last solo race on Kingfisher as she plans to build a 60-foot trimaran next year. The first finishers are expected in Pointe a Pitre about November 22.
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