Fire on Boat Competing in the Route du Rhum

The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe is a single-handed transatlantic sailing race. It takes place every 4 years, offset 2 years from the Vendée Globe. Competing in the Route du Rhum is one of the ways skippers can qualify for the Vendée Globe. (Sailing alone across the Atlantic in November is apparently a walk in the park compared to sailing in the Southern Ocean on your way around the planet.)

I didn't note the start of the race this year, for several reasons, though mostly because people don't seem to care about sailing unless the technology is outwardly cool - like the the flying catamarans previously used in the America's Cup races.

The Route du Rhum started on 6 November 2022. It runs from Saint-Malo in Brittany to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. Hence the name, "Rum Route."

Fabrice Amedeo, skipper of Nexans - Art & Fenêtres had to be rescued by a freighter after an explosion and a fire on the boat. FLASH Fire aboard IMOCA Nexans - Art & Fenêtres: Fabrice Amedeo recovered by a cargo ship

At 1132hrs UTC this morning, while French skipper Fabrice Amedeo was en route to Cascais in Portugal after suffering damage during the Route du Rhum-Destination Gudeloupe solo Transatlantic race there was an explosion aboard his Imoca, Nexans - Art & Fenêtres.

This led to a fire on board which spread requiring Amedeo to abandon his boat which sank soon after.

The damage declared was from a front with wind gusts up to 42 knots and big seas. It damaged his autopilot, and took out part of the electrical system on the boat. He was able to make some repairs, but withdrew from the race and was heading back to Europe.

The freighter M/V MAERSK BRIDA was diverted by the Portuguese maritime rescue centre, and Fabrice Amedeo was rescued. He will be dropped off in the Azores.

IMOCA stands for International Monohull Open Class Association. The IMOCA 60 is the class of boat that competes in the Vendée Globe. In it's current incarnation, the IMOCA 60 is a foiling monohull. Here is a short 1 minute video that shows an IMOCA 60, though it is being sailed by two people. The hydrofoils are an interesting touch on a monohull.

The IMOCA 60 is not the only class of boat that competes in the Route du Rhum, and Fabrice Amedeo is not the only sailor in the race to have suffered damage to his boat. Australian Class 40 sailor Rupert Henry reported that his boat suffered a structural failure from the pounding seas and was forced to withdraw from the race after his attempt at a repair didn't take. He was reportedly heading for Spain, and was 140 miles from Cape Finisterre on the evening of Sunday the 13th.