MRCC Lisboa has reported that the TS 5 catamaran of the navigator Régis Guillemot capsized on Friday evening off Vigo, Spain, after having collided with an unidentified floating object.
The vessel had left Morbihan to reach the Antilles, a transatlantic rout that Régis Guillemot has done on numerous occasions.
A seasoned sailor, he won the Route du Rhum in his category in 2002, and more recently the Multihulls trophy in 2019.
The group is in shock after having navigated seemingly calm waters, but hitting what may have been a container.
The unidentified object capsized their boat, killing one of the four crew members who was standing watch, sweeping his body away to be found 36 hours later.
The three survivors were able to alert emergency services using their 406 EPIRB, which was the first and only means of alert.
They were picked up by a freighter from their liferaft, and were dropped off in the Azores.
They warned the Vendée Globe race director of the presence of the overturned boat since the fleet would pass fairly close to the area where the vessel was sinking from the stern, bows in the air.
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