FR
ENDuring last night Tanguy Le Turquais reported, "We're fine physically, just a few minor injuries, my recently broken ribs have resurfaced. Mentally, we're a bit in shock. At this point, we only have ideas about what happened. We're both sad from a sporting perspective, but above all we are disappointed for the project and all the people who made it happen. It's hard to see this transatlantic race end so soon. We're now working to save the boat."
First words from Tanguy Le Turquais following the capsizing of Lazare x Hellio
Ocean Fifty
26 October 2025 - 10h00
Last night at 0827hrs UTC+1 (French time), the Race Directors of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR Le Havre Normandie were informed by the Cross Jobourg that the beacon of the Ocean Fifty Lazare x Hellio, had been triggered. When lying in fourth place, the 15-meter trimaran capsized about three miles offshore, north of La Hague (Cotentin). Erwan Le Draoulec and Tanguy Le Turquais were airlifted off the boat and are doing well.
The weather conditions in the area at the time of the capsize were winds of 25 to 30 knots and waves of over 2 meters.
"We were upwind, the sea was unpleasant but not overwhelming. It became very rough as we passed through the Alderney Race. That's when we capsized. We were sailing with two reefs in the mainsail and under J2. With Mon Bonnet Rose, we were the only ones in this configuration on the start line, a little undersailed, but in an effort to preserve the boat. Before we capsized we were thinking that we were still going slower than the leading group, but that it didn't matter, that we had to continue to preserve the boat and the crew."
What happened?
"What's very strange is that we capsized from the bow as if we were downwind, even though we were 70° to the wind, close-hauled, a point of sail where you generally capsize from the side. About 20 minutes before capsizing, Erwan and I heard a "boom," we thought we'd hit something, so I immediately went to inspect the central hull. Everything was fine, and we continued on our way. When we capsized a little later, and we looked out the porthole, we realized that we had become "a catamaran. Part of the port float had torn off, which is what clearly caused the boat to capsize. Our theory is that the noise we heard was the leeward float hitting something, making a "pop" in the hull, certainly big enough for water to rush in and the structure to give way. Today, with everything we know, we're guessing that's what happened..."
The SNSM quickly went out to mark the boat's location while the Lazare x Hellio team, in consultation with Race Management, worked on a solution to tow the boat as quickly as possible before it could run aground. The SNSM then did a remarkable job, managing to tow the damaged trimaran to the port of Cherbourg during the night, 5 miles.
The damage assessment is underway in the outer harbor, safely, at first light. "We can only thank and salute the Cross Jobourg and the rescuers who came to get us. I feel like they saved our lives. We weren't in immediate danger in the central hull, but I think Erwan and I reacted well, we did things in the right order, without panicking, and keeping our cool. That was undoubtedly the key to the success of the rescue, and behind it, the heroes that are these rescuers were able to carry out their job: in an hour, we were back on dry land.
Le Turquais concluded: “I can say it was emotional, shocking to see Erwan climb into the helicopter from the central hull, then in turn to be hoisted up and see Lazare x Hellio, its white beams, the hulls half underwater... These are rather shocking images."