Rower rescued after boat capsized in middle of Atlantic due to "rogue waves."

 

A solo rower was rescued from the Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico after his rowboat capsized during the World’s Toughest Row Race, a 3,000-mile rowing race from San Sebastian de la Gomera, Spain, to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua.

 According to a press release from the United States, Benoit Bourguet, a 47-year-old Belgian citizen, was rescued on Wednesday night by watchstanders from the Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center and the crew of the Horten Liberian-flagged tanker ship after his one-man rowing vessel, the City of Liverpool, was struck by two "rogue waves and capsized in 13 to 15-foot seas." The Coast Guard After the waves, the U.S., forced Bourguet to deploy and board his life raft. The Coast Guard stated He joined the overturned rowboat to his life raft. “At approximately 2 a.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center received an unregistered 406 MHz Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon EPIRB signal from the City of Liverpool rowboat. Wednesday, alerting of a possible distress approximately 1,100 nautical miles east of Puerto Rico,” the Coast Guard added.

A personal locating beacon device sent a second emergency distress signal to the watchstanders from the same area as the rowboat. After that, they got in touch with the World's Toughest Row Race safety coordinator, who confirmed that Bourguet had not responded to their numerous messages. An Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) callout was issued by the watchstanders “to contact the 1,092-foot Horten tanker and Enhanced Group Calling (EGC) to notify other vessels in the vicinity to be on the lookout for distress.”

The press release continued, "They also contacted the rowing vessel Old Sea Dogs, which was also participating in the race, and made VHF radio callouts to Bourguet; however, these calls also went unanswered." "While the Horten tanker was transiting from Germany to Offshore Guyana, it received the AMVER communication and diverted for over 12 hours, traveling approximately 110 miles to the position of the distress signal."

According to the U.S.  Coast Guard, the watchstanders maintained communication with the Horten tanker ship’s crew.

 “Once in the vicinity, Horten’s ship crew sighted a life raft and confirmed a survivor,” the press release said.  “The Horten ship crew used a life ring to safely recover the survivor, who was confirmed to be Bourguet, despite the rough sea conditions. The U.S.  According to the Coast Guard, Bourguet was "dehydrated but otherwise in good health" and "reported being in distress for approximately 24 hours" while maintaining his "capsized vessel tied to the life raft until his rescue." He was also "in good health."

According to Lieutenant, "We are very proud of the flawless coordination between our Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders and the brave crew and captain of the motor tanker Horten, which resulted in the successful rescue of a mariner." The case's mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector San Juan is Kenneth Snyder. He continued, "The Horten's participation in the AMVER program was critical, and the crew's selflessness and quick response embody the spirit of this voluntary program, where mariners stand ready to assist one another." The United States has received no reports of any other race vessels being in trouble. The Coast Guard said yes. World's Toughest Row made the announcement via Facebook that Bourguet "is now safely aboard the rescuing vessel." “On Tuesday, January 21, the solo rowing vessel "City of Liverpool," which competes under the team name "Viva For Life," sent out an emergency beacon (EPIRB) alert. The alert was immediately escalated to the relevant search and rescue authorities, who coordinated the response with Atlantic Campaigns in accordance with established safety procedures," they wrote.

They went on to say, "Benoit's support network has been informed, and we will not be sharing any additional details at this stage." "World's Toughest Row would like to express its gratitude to the authorities in charge of search and rescue as well as the vessel involved for their prompt and expert assistance."

"Many of you are concerned, rightly so, but we’re happy to report that Ben is okay," the person who managed Bourguet's Facebook page while he was participating in the race wrote in an update. “Ben was recovered safe and sound last night around 11 p.m. UTC. The organization derailed a boat since 4 a.m. on Wednesday. So far, none of us have spoken directly to him. From Bourguet's account, the person wrote, "We're closely following the situation with them, and his relatives have been informed." Therefore, when Ben returns, he will have a long story to tell! so that any concerns can be eased,” the author continued.

The person went on to say that "Benoit would have obviously wished to be able to finish this race," but "is that he is safe and sound" was the most important thing.