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Escoffiers reported a water ingress in his sailing boat 500 nautical miles off Cape Town
Photo:
JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
The French sailor Kevin Escoffier was shipwrecked on the Vendée Globe.
The skipper, who was third at the time, sent an SOS signal about 550 nautical miles from Cape Town and reported a water ingress on board to his team.
Escoffier switched to a life raft and has not been reachable by phone since then.
As the organizers announced on Monday evening, the German skipper Boris Herrmann and Yannick Bestaven (France) had been asked to go to the area for support.
The Frenchman Jean Le Cam had already arrived as the first rescuer.
The Coast Guard had contacted him because his position was closest to the Escoffiers.
"Jean le Cam arrived in the area and saw Kevin on his life raft," the organizers reported.
Le Cam was driving the engine and preparing to recover Escoffier.
Those involved in the rescue may continue the race after the rescue operation.
The Hamburger Herrmann is currently in eighth place.
The journey on the Vendée Globe takes you around the world without assistance, the sailors travel around 45,000 kilometers without a break.
Previously, one of the favorites, Briton Alex Thomson, had already given up the Vendée Globe.
After technical problems and days of repairs last week - damage to the laminate in the bow section of his yacht - a broken rudder made participation impossible.
In contrast to other participants like Boris Herrmann from Hamburg, Thomson did not have a replacement rudder on board.
The prestigious circumnavigation of the world is considered to be the toughest regatta in the world, with around 45,000 kilometers to overcome for the participants.
Start and finish is the port of Les Sables d'Olonne in France.
The best skippers take less than 80 days.
A total of 27 men and six women tackled the Vendée Globe this year.
Even co-favorite Nicolas Troussel had to give up when he broke the mast.
"That is totally sad and unfair," said Boris Herrmann, who is a friend of Thomson.
"I would have really liked him to win."
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hba / dpa / sid
