The Coralia ship, which capsized upon the arrival of the winner of the Route du Rhum 2022, causing the death of two people,
“did not strictly correspond to the specifications”
, according to the final report of the Bureau of Investigation on the sea events (BEA sea) published Saturday.
On November 16, 2022 around 5:00 a.m., during the arrival of Charles Caudrelier, winner in Pointe-à-Pitre of the solo transatlantic regatta, one of the following ships
“capsized and turned around one mile from the finish line »
, recalls the report.
“Among the passengers (member of the organization OC Pen Duick, Editor's note) and the crew, some were ejected but several remained under the upturned hull. Two people were unable to escape and drowned
,” the document details.
This ship, the Coralia,
“was not authorized for night navigation
,” the report indicates.
Even if the captain was qualified,
"the restriction of his vessel to daytime navigation prevented him from gaining experience necessary for the finishing conditions of a night race"
.
“The Coralia was armed with a single professional sailor”
, underlines the BEA sea, noting that
the “accompanist”
required
“had the administrative status of a passenger”
.
Furthermore,
“busy with preparations for departure”
, the captain and the attendant did not take the time to provide a boarding briefing to the passengers.
“The BEA mer was not able to obtain the contracts linking the ships to the service company. The absence of a written contract (...) could explain the reason why a vessel not meeting the specifications could be used, without prior checks
,” notes the investigation office.
Finally, the report points out, as a
"contributing factor to the accident"
, the large number of follower vessels, which
"cruise in all directions"
, with
"erratic behavior, some"
without navigation lights, causing wake waves and making
“difficult to adjust the ship’s maneuvers and anticipate the “movements of the sea
” by the captain
.
“
Caught in the flow of ships, without being able to easily adapt his routes and speed
”
,
the captain
“was surprised by a wave coming from behind
”, notes the BEA sea.