This morning at around 0800hrs CET, the autopilot on Brieuc Maisonneuve’s CMA île de France - 60000 rebonds catamaran failed in a violent gust of wind causing the boat to bear away. The sailor was unable to do anything to prevent the boat from capsizing.
The Race Directors asked Jean-Pierre Dick to change course and head for the area. He was able to recover Brieuc Maisonneuve and take him aboard. The skipper is in good health in spite of a few bruises. The two men are now heading towards the Azores and the team is organising an operation to recover the boat.