On 28 January 2021, the MRCC Gris-Nez received a distress alert from a sailboat located about 500 nautical miles west of Cape Verde.
The skipper confirmed his distress by satellite phone.
Initially going to the West Indies, he tore his mainsail and tried to turn the vessel around but ran out of fuel.
The MRCC Gris-Nez diverted a merchant vessel bound for Dakar to assist the sailboat.
Arriving in the area on the morning of 29 January, the merchant vessel managed to board the two people but was forced by the sea conditions to leave their sailboat adrift.
Their arrival in Dakar was scheduled for the morning of 1 February.
Photo: Sailboat left adrift
Photo: Merchant vessel that assisted the sailboat
