PRB boss, Jean-Jacques Laurent experienced the rescue of his skipper Kevin Escoffier, who was in distress, from the race HQ in Les Sables d'Olonne.
We imagine you reassured ...
JEAN-JACQUES LAURENT.
The night was short, but what a relief!
Kevin's rescue went well, it's really happiness.
I spent a good part of the night at the race HQ. I left at 4:30 am after having toasted a small glass of champagne with the whole team who worked hard to find him.
When were you notified of the problems your skipper was having?
Monday at 3 p.m.
I was in a meeting at the factory when I was told that Kevin sent the shore crew a message:
"I'm sinking, it's not a joke, may day (help)".
We are also told that the emergency beacon has been triggered.
A whole protocol was then put in place.
The wait, very long, began.
Until Jean Le Cam spotted him for the first time, we had no news from Kevin.
It was the sidereal void.
We learned, much later, that everything went very quickly on board.
He just had time to tear off his survival suit, to get underwater to retrieve a life raft.
A wave then ejected him with the boat which had not yet been inflated.
Kevin is a seasoned sailor, a force of nature.
When he hung the balcony of the boat near Jean Le Cam, there was no question for him to let go.
All of this in complicated sea conditions ...
It was not daunting but the conditions were bad: 30 knots of wind, hollows of 4 to 5 m.
Night had fallen.
We imagine that it was not easy.
It was necessary to carry out an enormous work of pointing, of drift simulations to try to locate the boat.
Every 15 minutes, the Argos beacon transmitted a position, but it is an immense ocean.
The point moves almost 10 km every 15 minutes, we must optimize, find ideas to send the boats to the area
(Editor's note: 4 racing boats have been diverted)
, while preventing them from colliding.
The rescue took all the longer as it took place in two stages ...
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Jean Le Cam actually saw Kevin for the first time in his raft, with his survival suit.
They talked, Kevin wanted to jump, Jean advised him not to.
By the time he turned around and came back, eye contact was lost.
A huge relief!
Kevin is well on board Hubert safe and sound.
To read the story ⤵️ https://t.co/xWiNkLBihy
- Jean Le Cam (@JeanLecam) December 1, 2020
What contacts did you have with those close to Kevin on the ground?
Here again, there is a protocol to be followed in the event of an accident.
It is our communication manager who was in contact with the family.
But, of course, I had Kevin's wife on the phone that evening.
When were you really reassured?
Around 2 a.m.
We were live from Jean's boat via Skype.
We hear noise and Jean talking.
Usually he doesn't speak to himself
(laughs)
.
After about ten minutes, we see him descend into the cockpit and we see Kevin behind.
A great moment of relief.
He apologized for losing the boat, but it's just hardware.
The important thing is that Kevin is alive.
There is nothing more important than a human being.
The Vendée Globe is in our genes at PRB, when you choose a skipper, he is part of the family.
Ironically, it was Vincent Riou aboard PRB who went to save Jean Le Cam in 2009, shipwrecked off Cape Horn…
That's the beauty of the gesture!
Jean and PRB, it's a real story.
He has never been a skipper with us, except in doubles one year with Vincent Riou, but that did not prevent us from giving him money to help him make ends meet.
Jean is a friend, he would never have let go of Kevin, he would not have abandoned him.
If we hadn't found him yet, Jean would still be looking for him, that's for sure.
Have you already experienced such an emotion in the Vendée Globe?
Yes, in 1996, when Isabelle Autissier turns around.
She comes out the back hatch and calls me directly.
"Jean-Jacques, I am alive" and it cuts.
At the time, it took half a day to get it back.
These operations are always delicate and rich in emotions.
