From dream to nightmare: crew member Max Delannoy died on board the French X 4.3 "Agecanonix" during the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) on Friday night.
According to the British Word Cruising Club (WCC), which organises the rally, the full circumstances of the incident are not yet known. However, according to a post on the crew's Facebook page, the accident is said to have occurred when Delannoy was about to take the helm at the start of his night watch. The post states:
"(...) Max was the victim of an accident last night when he had just taken the helm for his night watch, the boom hit him hard on the head. Philippe, who was sitting in the cockpit, was able to hold him so that he didn't fall into the water. But he was killed instantly. They (the other crew members, editor's note) informed the rescue services, the CROSS (sea rescue service) then took over and launched an operation to rescue the three men, who will be taken to a cruise ship this evening (...)"
The yacht sailed as part of the IRC Racing Division on a far northern route towards St Lucia. Three French sailors were on board, including skipper Jean-Philippe Anglade.
The World Cruising Club reports on the course of the accident:
"On the 26th/27th around midnight, a mayday call was sent from the 'Agecanonix' requesting a medical evacuation. Unfortunately, the injured crew member Max Delannoy was pronounced dead before outside assistance could be provided."
The rescue operation was coordinated by MRCC France Gris-Nez and later by MRCC Ponta Delgada. Finally, the cruise ship "Mein Schiff 1" was sent to the position of the "Agecanonix" to take on board Philippe Anglade, who was also injured, as well as Jean-Philippe Anglade and the body of Max Delannoy.
According to the WCC, the "Mein Schiff 1" reached the X-Yacht on Saturday evening in 8 Beaufort and rough seas of 4 to 5 metres. It positioned itself to windward of the yacht and launched a lifeboat. However, the wind continued to increase so that a rescue attempt had to be cancelled. The cruise ship then remained in the vicinity and only made another attempt on Sunday in daylight.
At around 14:00 UTC, MRCC Ponta Delgada reported that the rescue operation had been completed and that both the crew and the deceased were on board. The "Agecanonix" was abandoned at an approximate position of 29° 3.71 N, 026° 30.38 W and is still being tracked by the MRCC via the tracker on board. Meanwhile, the "Mein Schiff 1" , which is travelling from the Caribbean to Madeira with 1440 guests and 726 crew members, has set course for Madeira again.
In the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, around 140 yachts are currently sailing as a fleet from Gran Canaria to the Caribbean island of St Lucia. The ARC was launched on 21 November. The fastest yachts have so far covered around two thirds of the 2700 nautical mile route.
