Rescue needed for Ocean Globe Race

(September 18, 2023) – The Portuguese Rescue Coordination Center is working with the McIntyre Ocean Globe Race crisis management team for a long-range helicopter medivac of injured sailor Stéphane Raguenes on board the French yacht TRIANA.

The yacht is one of 14 entrants that are currently competing in the 2023-24 around the world race. Triana is currently 210 nautical miles southwest of Portugal, with the helicopter to lift the casualty today.

Triana, a Swan 53, was leading in Adventure Class, placed 7th overall and 5th in IRC racing. She is sailing with eight crew members onboard.

The accident occurred yesterday at 1300 UTC when crew member Stéphane Raguenes slipped on deck in heavy weather causing a severe laceration on the back of his leg behind the knee. He was taken below for immediate first aid to stop the blood flow, and was sedated and given painkillers. He was conscious, talking, and made comfortable by his crew mates.

Captain of Triana (66) FR, Jean d’Arthuys, considered various options, including an emergency evacuation to a nearby container ship or transferring Doctor Tanneguy Raffray from Neptune (56) FR, another French OGR entrant. Neptune was just 12 nm away at the time but four meter seas and moderate wind conditions ruled out both options.

Diverting to Portugal was also considered but it was decided to continue South to Las Palmas and later Madeira. This option offered the least overall risk to all involved.

However, overnight Raguenes’ condition deteriorated with continued blood loss, and his pain required morphine to be administered. As the yacht’s speed dropped in lighter winds, and the engine not working, d’Arthuys contacted Ocean Globe Race control at 07:20 on September 18 to request an immediate medivac from the vessel.

MRCC Portugal, is in charge of the rescue operation with CROSS Gris-Nez, UK Coast Guard and MRCC Morocco on standby. Triana’s EPIRB was not activated as stable communication has been established with d’Arthuys and OGR crisis management team by voice and text.

As Morocco MRCC was unable to provide a helicopter to make the 210 miles to Triana and back, Portugal MRCC approved a medivac by military helicopter and flight plans for the rescue. A fixed wing aircraft accompanied the helicopter on this mission.

Sunny weather, winds 9-12 knots of northerly winds, and 2-meter seas were in the forecast

In other reports, at 09:30 UTC today, another entrant Godspeed (01) USA contacted OGR race control reporting their boom had developed a six-inch crack in the middle following a few days of heavy weather. The mainsail has been lowered and the boom secured. The team is now diverting to Lisbon to effect repairs.

The first boats are expected to finish the first leg by October 9-21, 2023.

Event information – Race rules – Entry list – Tracker

2023-24 Ocean Globe Race:
FIRST LEG: Start 10 September 2023. 6650 miles. First boats finish 9-21 October 2023.
SECOND LEG: Start 5 November 2023. 6650 miles. First boats finish 14-23 December 2023.
THIRD LEG: Start 14 January 2024. 8370 miles. First boats finish 9-18 February 2024.
FOURTH LEG: Start 5 March. 5430 miles. Finish 1-10 April 2024.

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race (OGR) is a fully crewed, retro race, in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race, marking the 50th Anniversary of the original event. Starting in Southampton (UK) on September 10, the OGR is a 27,000-mile sprint around the Globe, divided into four legs that passes south of the three great Capes. The fleet is divided in three classes with stop-overs in Cape Town, South Africa; Auckland, New Zealand; and Punta del Este, Uruguay before returning to Southhampton in April 2024.

Source: OGR