The last position report in the "Balu" online blog shows the ship 100 nautical miles east of the island on Saturday. 24 hours later, the blue yacht was spotted with its sails set south of Fort de France.
Just 20 minutes after the report of the yacht sailing unmanned between St Lucia and Martinique under automatic pilot, a rescue cruiser set sail from Martinique. A helicopter was also deployed and immediately began combing the sea area east of Martinique. However, the search had to be called off at around 10 pm our time due to darkness.
The ship was taken on the hook and towed to Martinique. The local police found nothing unusual, but realised that the engine had apparently stopped working. Apparently, the skipper had tried to repair the cooling water pump. However, the local authorities are unable to provide any information about its whereabouts.
In his latest blog entry from last Saturday, the single-handed sailor reports on freshening winds and rough seas. He also reported an encounter with a freighter, which he pointed out his right of way to. When the freighter continued on its collision course, the "Balu" finally swerved out of the way. Apparently, the accident must have occurred on the last 100 nautical miles of the Atlantic crossing.
