Dramatic rescue operation in French Polynesia
Early on Saturday morning, 31 May, an emergency beacon on the catamaran "Luna Bay 2" triggered a distress call. On board were three-time Olympic medallist Charline Picon, her husband Jean-Emmanuel Mestre and their seven-year-old daughter Lou. At the time, the ship was travelling about 70 nautical miles southwest of the island of Ua Pou in the Marquesas archipelago. The French-Polynesian rescue coordination centre JRCC Tahiti immediately launched a rescue operation after several attempts to contact the crew failed.
From Olympic victory to sailing around the world
Charline Picon provided one of the most remarkable stories at the Olympic Games in France. After winning gold and silver in RSX surfing (2016 and 2020), she took bronze in the 49erFX together with Sarah Steyaert in 2024. The 38- and 40-year-old sailors were known as "Team Mum" and had ended their sporting careers after their surprising success. Picon and her partner Jean-Emmanuel Mestre, both sports physiotherapists, then decided to take a sabbatical year at sea. In October 2024, they set off with their daughter Lou on their Outremer 45 Catamaran "Luna Bay II" on a trip around the world to Polynesia.
Successful rescue after shipwreck
The French Rescue Coordination Centre deployed a Gardian 25F aircraft to begin the search for the stricken catamaran. Shortly after arriving in the search area, the search team spotted the ship and was able to contact the shipwrecked people by VHF radio, who confirmed that they were all safe and sound. The family was in the life raft. However, as this was taking on water, an inflatable boat was dropped from the aircraft.
Rescue by "Stardust"
Another yacht, the "Stardust", was about four hours away from the scene of the accident and was diverted to provide assistance. In the early afternoon, the three castaways were safely taken on board the "Stardust". The Rescue Coordination Centre praised the crew of the "Luna Bay II" for their prudent actions: "The experienced and well-prepared crew showed the right reflexes (releasing the beacon, preparing the survival equipment, dinghy, portable VHF radio)," it said in a statement.
Cause of the accident
According to information from the rescue services, the catamaran collided with an unidentified floating object, which tore off the port side saildrive and led to a significant inrush of water. "We couldn't have imagined this end to our journey," explained Charline Picon on her Instagram account. The Outremer shipyard, which followed the incident, emphasises the unsinkability of its boats: "Even if the boat hits something and water gets in, it won't sink," explains Xavier Desmarets, co-founder of Grand Large Yachting.
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Efforts are currently underway to locate the catamaran, whose AIS signal is no longer transmitting. "The priority now that the family is safe is to find the vessel, which is close to shore and now poses a danger to other recreational sailors," adds Desmarets.
